LONDON (Reuters) – British opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer sacked his education spokeswoman Rebecca Long-Bailey on Thursday after she shared an article online which included a reference to what he called an “anti-Semitic conspiracy theory”.
Long-Bailey, who came second to Starmer in the race to become Labour leader earlier this year, was a close ally to previous leader Jeremy Corbyn and one of the few remaining links to the party’s hard left.
“The article Rebecca shared earlier today contained an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory,” a spokesperson for Starmer said. “As leader of the Labour Party, Keir has been clear that restoring trust with the Jewish community is a number one priority.”
Under Corbyn, Labour was repeatedly criticised for not doing enough to stamp out anti-Semitism within the party ranks.
(Reporting by William James, editing by Elizabeth Piper)
