The British Labour Party has withdrawn support for its candidate in a special election amid a string of antisemitism allegations.
It made the decision after the emergence of “new information” about Azhar Ali, its candidate for the race for Parliament in the town of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, the party said on Monday evening.
Ali apologized, saying his statements were “inexcusable.”
The Mail on Sunday had recorded him saying, “Israel effectively sanctioned the Hamas atrocity against its own people to get the ‘green light’ to invade Gaza,” the Daily Mail reported.
Some colleagues still support Ali, including one who said he had simply “fallen” for an online conspiracy theory. The politician is reportedly suspended from Labour pending an investigation.
The deadline has passed for the party to replace Ali. The death of Sir Tony Lloyd on Jan. 17 triggered the race for the Labour seat.
Others, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, have said Labour should have acted sooner.
George Galloway, representing the Workers Party of Britain, is also a candidate in the election slated for Feb. 29. He, too, has a history of antisemitic scandal.