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Watch: Ken Livingstone’s career-ending Daily Politics interview – ‘a real anti-Semite doesn’t just hate the Jews in Israel’

After Ken Livingstone claimed that Hitler supported Zionism and that anti-Semitism is not racism in a BBC radio interview, Labour MPs including Jess Phillips and Sadiq Khan have called for Ken Livingstone to be expelled from the party. With Corbyn — slow as ever — to respond to their calls, Livingstone appeared on the Daily Politics presumably in the hope of conducting some damage limitation.

Alas this didn’t go to plan, and instead Red Ken made his situation even worse as he went on to say that he had seen ‘nothing to suggest’ Naz Shah is anti-Semitic — despite the Labour MP admitting yesterday that her posts were guilty of anti-Semitism. Ken went on to say that Shah’s comments were ‘completely over-the-top and rude’ but not anti-Semitic:

‘That is part of the classic anti-Semitic thing about an ‘international Jewish conspiracy’ – that is the reason we need to have an investigation. I’ve got an open mind. I’ve seen nothing to suggest to me that she is anti-Semitic. I wouldn’t have supported her if I didn’t think she was anti-Semitic.’

He also offered some insight into what makes a ‘real anti-Semite’:

‘A real anti-Semite doesn’t just hate the Jews in Israel, they hate their Jewish neighbour in Golders Green, or in Stoke Newington — it’s a physical loathing.’

He then found the time to discuss the ‘real’ Hitler:

‘There were private meetings between the Zionist movement and Hitler’s government that were kept confidential.’

Taxi for Ken — now.

 

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Steerpike
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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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