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Listen: Chris Williamson says Margaret Hodge is on ‘Planet Zog’

Chris Williamson

Following the release of the EHRC report into anti-Semitism and Jeremy Corbyn’s suspension from the Labour party today, several members of the Corbynite wing of the party have attempted to argue that Labour’s anti-Semitism crisis had been overblown by the media.

Who better then to make their case than former Labour MP Chris Williamson – who was suspended from the party for saying that anti-Semitism had been ‘weaponised’ against Jeremy Corbyn. Williamson appeared on Andrew Neil’s Times Radio show today, after the Jewish Labour MP Margaret Hodge had been on the show.

If Williamson was hoping though to make the case though that anti-Semitism was never really involved in the Labour party, Mr S isn’t sure his choice of language was ideal.

At one point in the discussion, Williamson said that Hodge was living on ‘Planet Zog’. Intriguingly, the American Anti-Defamation League notes that often ‘ZOG’ stands for ‘Zionist Occupied Government’ and stands for a belief that the US government is controlled by Jews.

One can only hope that Williamson’s reference was unintentional…

Listen to the exchange here:


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Steerpike
Written by
Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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