SCOTTISH Labour has lost its third election candidate in two months following an anti-Semitism row after its would-be MP in Gordon stood down for “personal reasons”.
Kate Ramsden wrote in a blog: "To me the Israeli state is like an abused child who becomes an abusive adult. Like child abuse it has to stop.”
The Jewish Chronicle said it had seen evidence Labour staff had told Ms Ramsden she could remain as the Gordon candidate if she deleted her blog.
But the party strongly denied this and explained, after it challenged the candidate, she announced she was resigning for “personal reasons”.
Last month, Labour “removed” Bill Curran as its candidate in Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross after he wrote he stood with ex-Derby MP Chris Williamson, who was banned after claiming Labour had been “too apologetic” over the row about anti-Jewish sentiment in the party.
Also on Thursday, it emerged Scottish Labour had dropped its candidate for Edinburgh South West, Frances Hoole, following the posting of a controversial Twitter image involving her SNP rival, the constituency’s former MP Joanna Cherry.
An accompanying caption read: “Bang! And the terf is gone”. Terf is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist and regarded as an insult by many women campaigning for gender-based rights.
The latest anti-Semitism row erupted just hours after Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell insisted Labour had done “everything we can” to deal with racist allegations and had been “rapid and, at times, ruthless” in imposing new disciplinary procedures.
Yesterday, the Jewish Chronicle claimed Jeremy Corbyn had “inspired” anti-Semitism within Labour but the party leader hit back, declaring: “Anti-Semitism is a poison and an evil in our society…I will die an anti-racist.”
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