An investigation by the Labour Party into MP Dame Margaret Hodge over a confrontation with party leader Jeremy Corbyn has been dropped.
Hodge allegedly shouted at Mr Corbyn about anti-Semitism within the party, leading to the disciplinary action being taken against her.
During the alleged incident, Hodge is said to have told Mr Corbyn that he was in danger of ‘being perceived as anti-Semitic’ due to actions such as the unwillingness of the party to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism.
The dropping of the investigation came after Dame Margaret supposedly addressed regret about the incident with the party leader, however, her lawyers denied this in a statement.
Despite the end of the investigation, tension within the party still runs high, with Hodge stating on Twitter that neither side had apologised over the alleged incident.
Hodge further stated that ‘after 55 years of LP membership going after me instead of addressing the issue was wrong’, furthering allegations that the labour party under Corbyn’s leadership have not been taking the issue of anti-Semitism seriously.
She has also called upon the party to adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, despite fears within her party that many of the examples it lists do not allow for criticisms of Israeli government policies – particularly towards Palestine.
Labour have instead adopted their own definition with reworked examples that were largely based upon the IHRA’s list.
The dropping of the investigation gained the support of deputy leader of the Labour party Tom Watson, who has also called upon the party to adopt the IHRA definition.
However, Mr Watson has faced calls to resign in recent days due to his perceived disloyalty towards party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
#ResignWatson has been trending in recent days, following what many are calling disloyalty to the labour leader, showing huge discontent within the party at his deputy leadership role.
This has arisen during the latest anti-Semitism row, however, allegations of plotting between more centrist factions within the party have been rumbling for some time, something that Watson is accused of being a significant part of.
Mr Watson and others have been accused of holding secret meetings to plot the ousting of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn over anti-Semitism and Brexit, where many in the party feel he has been insufficient.
Those who are calling for Watson’s resignation have accused the politician of being self-serving and wishing to break up the alliance of left-wing voters Corbyn has built up, in favour of reverting to a new-Labour style party.
Although calls for his resignation have been significant, there is clear evidence to suggest that the hashtag #ResignWatson, was inflated by bot accounts.
Whilst the Tory party look set to implode over Brexit in the coming months, Jeremy Corbyn has been trying to present the labour party as the government in waiting; these latest scandals show that Mr Corbyn still has plenty to deal with at home before he can think about taking the keys to number 10.
