The British Labour Party has suspended Graham Jones's candidacy for the upcoming general election following the release of a recording in which he made derogatory comments about Israel. This suspension comes a day after the opposition party withdrew its support for another candidate, Azhar Ali, after he made conspiracy theory remarks regarding Israel. Jones’s candidacy, selected to compete for a seat in northern England, was halted on Tuesday pending the outcome of investigations.
Earlier, Guido Fawkes published an audio recording of Jones, reportedly taken from the same local party meeting. In the recording, Jones referred to "damn Israel" and suggested that Britons fighting in the Israeli army should be imprisoned. Reuters has not verified the full recording or the exact time it was made. Jones has not yet responded to Reuters' requests for comment via phone and email.
Polls indicate that the Labour Party is likely to form the next British government following the general elections anticipated in the second half of this year. During the tenure of former leader Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party faced accusations that some within its ranks exhibited discrimination against and harassed Jewish individuals. Current leader Keir Starmer has sought to eliminate anti-Semitism within the party. Earlier, before Jones's suspension, Starmer stated, "When I said the Labour Party has changed under my leadership, I meant it."
