Labour suspend Chris Williamson after he said the party had been ‘too apologetic’ over anti-Semitism complaints

Tom Watson and Theresa May had both called for Williamson to be suspended

The Labour party has suspended Chris Williamson after he was filmed telling Momentum activists that "too much ground" had been given to complaints about anti-Semitism. Williamson, a Corbyn ally, was suspended on Wednesday afternoon. Theresa May and Tom Watson had both called for the MP for Derby North to lose the Labour whip. He said: "I think our party's response has been partly responsible for that because in my opinion... we've backed off too much, we've given too much ground, we've been too apologetic. "We've actually done more to address the scourge of antisemitism than any other political party." Labour originally said Williamson was being investigated over the remarks but after deputy leader Watson's intervention the MP has been suspended. A Labour spokesperson has now confirmed the suspension and said: "Chris Williamson is suspended from the Party, and therefore the whip, pending investigation." 38 Labour MPs had written to their general secretary, Jennie Formby, demanding Williamson's suspension, the Times reports. Last week eight Labour MPs quit the party, citing anti-Semitism as a key factor in their decision, to form the Independent Group.