Jeremy Corbyn’s allies are bullying MPs and trying to purge the Labour Party of his critics, veteran MP Dame Margaret Hodge last night warned.
The former minister launched a blistering attack on the Labour leadership for waging a war against moderate MPs.
She said some are determined to kick moderates out of the party – wither by deselection or disciplinary actions.
Her furious tirade comes after she was embroiled in a major row with Mr Corbyn’s office over the anti-Semitism scandal.
The party launched an investigation into Dame Margaret – who is Jewish and lost family in the Holocaust – after she allegedly called Mr Corbyn a ‘f***ing anti-Semite’, but dropped the probe after massive criticism.
But Labour MP Ian Austin, who also had family murdered in the Holocaust, is still under investigation after rowing with the party leadership over anti-Semitism.
The former minister Dame Margaret Hodge (pictured in her Commons office) launched a blistering attack on the Labour leadership for waging a war against moderate MPs
Speaking to The Guardian, Dame Margaret said ‘I have absolutely no doubt that there are those in the leadership who want to get rid, whether it is through de selection or disciplinary action, of any opposition.
‘The new style of politics is bullying and intolerance, not gentle and inclusive.’
Her words are a pointed swipe at Mr Corbyn – who promised a return to a ‘kinder and gentler’ politics after he was elected.
Labour MPs have queued up to condemn the leadership for doggedly going after those who dare to criticise them over anti-Semitism while dragging their feet over disciplining those actually behind the racism.
And Dame Margaret accused Mr Corbyn’s allies of bullying Mr Austin by launching the formal investigation into him.
She said: ‘Arguing passionately for what you believe in should be encouraged and celebrated, not punished.
‘That’s what Ian was quite properly doing and trying to close down the issue by disciplining him is tantamount to bullying.’
And she also doubled down on her criticism of the leader’s office, saying: ‘I stand by my comments.’
Lawyers for Mr Austin have accused Labour of not telling him about the specific allegations against him.
In the letter, tweeted by Mr Austin, they say the party has ‘failed to observe the most rudimentary principles of natural justice, due process and transparency’.
Mr Austin’s solicitors, Hamlins, added: ‘This process has been a farce and a disgrace.
It has plainly been designed to silence our client for his legitimate, honestly held criticisms of Mr Corbyn’s failure to address the scourge of antisemitism in the Labour party.’
Dame Margaret’s furious attack come as fresh details of the scale of the anti-Semitism scandal facing the party have emerged.
A cache of documents, leaked to The Guardian, show that Labour members under investigation by party bosses have dismissed the scandal as an invention of the Israeli lobby.
And an ally of Mr Corbyn behind a Facebook group which hosted anti-Semitic slurs has reportedly said it is a ‘badge of honour’ to be investigated by the Labour Party.
Elleanne Green is being investigated by party bosses after the controversial Palestine Live group was found to have hosted anti-Jewish conspiracy theories.
Mr Corbyn was a member of the group – where members posted links to Holocaust denial myths – until 2015, but insists he did not see any offensive comments.
A leaked cache of documents, published in The Guardian today, show that Ms Green made the ‘deeply troubling’ comment saying the probe could be seen as a ‘badge of honour’.
The revelation comes as the Labour leader faces continued fury from his own MPs and the Jewish community for failing to get a grip on the crisis tearing Labour apart.
Meanwhile, international holocaust experts have accused the Labour party of undermining efforts to stamp out anti-Semitism.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance last night said the party’s high controversial decision to refuse to fully adopt is definition of anti-Semitism was hampering efforts.
In their first intervention since the row erupted last month about Labour’s refusal to take up the definition last month, they criticised Labour for excluding some of the specific examples of the racism.
They said: ‘The significance of this definition lies in the international cooperation that led to it.
‘Not only was it drafted with input from many of the world’s foremost experts on antisemitism, but it was unanimously approved by government representatives from all IHRA Member Countries.
‘Gaining this level of international consensus was no easy feat, but antisemitism is a global phenomenon and so it was very important that we persevered in order to emerge with one common definition.
‘As a result of this IHRA effort, there is not a western or an eastern definition of antisemitism; there is not a Jewish or non-Jewish definition – but an international definition.’
They add: ‘Any ‘modified’ version of the IHRA definition that does not include all of its 11 examples is no longer the IHRA definition.
‘Adding or removing language undermines the months of international diplomacy and academic rigour that enabled this definition to exist.
‘If one organisation or institution can amend the wording to suit its own needs, then logically anyone else could do the same. We would once again revert to a world where antisemitism goes unaddressed simply because different entities cannot agree on what it is.
‘The real everyday threats to Jewish people and their communities demand coordinated international solutions.
‘As members of the UK delegation to the IHRA, we are pleased that our work has provided an important tool to unite policymakers and stakeholders of different nationalities and ideologies in this urgent fight.’

Labour has been dogged by anti-Semitism claims ever since Jeremy Corbyn (pictured outside his Islington home on Monday) became leader in 2015