Jess Phillips claims Labour leadership rivals ‘kept quiet’ on antisemitism
Birmingham MP’s accusations force other contenders to defend their records during hustings for leadership
Jess Phillips has accused her rivals in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn of “keeping quiet” about antisemitism, as the party’s failure to root out racism in its own ranks triggered heated exchanges at the first leadership hustings.
For the first 40 minutes, the five surviving contenders engaged in civilised debate and avoided any personal criticism of one another, broadly agreeing on the shortcomings of the last election manifesto and the need to end factionalism. But, after the panel was asked about antisemitism, Phillips’s remarks changed the mood .