Labour MP draws anger as she calls Corbyn 'racist'

Britain’s Labour Party is reportedly preparing to take disciplinary action against veteran Jewish fellow member MP Margaret Hodge who launched a verbal attack against Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday.

According to media reports, a Jewish MP and former minister, subjected Corbyn to an expletive ridden rant in Parliament following the party’s decision to reject an internationally recognized definition of anti-Semitism.

In what has been described as an extraordinary tirade, she called the Labour leader an "anti-Semite and a racist”.

"I'm sorry you feel like that," Corbyn is reported to have responded after Hodge confronted him behind the Speaker's chair in the Parliament building on Tuesday night.

The confrontation was sparked after Labour decided to adopt a new code of conduct on anti-Semitism, meant to separate criticism of Israel and Zionist supporters from what is defined as anti-Semitism.

The new code was officially adopted by the Party’s executive committee on Tuesday. The new rules state that Anti-Semitism is a “form of racism” and it is “unacceptable” within the party and within wider society.

Hodge, an active member of the Labour Friends of Israel group, wanted Labour to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance (IHRA) definition, which some critics argue conflates criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism.

However, pro-Israel MPs within Labour were left furious by the change as the new code would not include all of the "working examples" which the IHRA had listed within its definition of anti-Semitism.

PressTV-UK Labour Party rejects Israel's anti-Semitism definition

The UK Labour Party has adopted its own code of conduct which permits harsher criticism of Israel while also stating that "anti-Semitism is racism."

A spokesman for Corbyn emphasized that Labour considered the attack as "clearly unacceptable".

Since the public outburst, Hodge said she chose to "confront" Corbyn to express her "outrage" at the outcome of the new code of conduct.

Meanwhile, Palestine solidarity campaigners welcomed the new rules on anti-Semitism passed by Labour ruling executive this week.

The Jewish Voice for Labour group welcomed the new code, saying it “offers a constructive framework for moving forward in this difficult area.”

Labour Reactions

Meanwhile, many Labour members and supporters voiced their support for the new code of conduct online and applauded the promised disciplinary action taken by the Party against Hodge.

Some have argued that Corbyn was too soft on rebellious elements within his own party who have attempted to undermine his leadership since the beginning.

A spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn's declined to reveal the precise nature of the action being taken against Hodge but said it would be taken under the usual Parliamentary Labour Party procedures requiring MPs to behave in a "respectful" way towards colleagues and not to "bring the party into disrepute".

Since her public outburst, Margaret Hodge has so far failed to apologize or retract her comments aimed at the UK opposition party leader. Hodge has so far continued her attacks, writing for The Guardian that she stands by her comments and that she told Corbyn “to his face what ... others are feeling".

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