Tom Watson is facing mounting pressure over his links to Max Mosley after John McDonnell suggested he should return more than £500,000 in donations if the tycoon’s views have not changed.
The shadow chancellor waded into the row suggesting Labour’s deputy leader should look again at his ‘relationship with Max Mosley and the finances as well’.
The intervention comes after the Daily Mail revealed former Formula One boss Mr Mosley published a campaign leaflet linking non-white immigrants with diseases such as tuberculosis, VD and leprosy.
The pamphlet, supporting a candidate for his father Sir Oswald Mosley’s Union Movement in a 1961 by-election, stated: ‘Coloured immigration threatens your children’s health.’
Interviewed on Sky News today, Mr McDonnell suggested Labour’s deputy leader should look again at his ‘relationship with Max Mosley and the finances as well’
Tom Watson defended his decision to accept £540,000-worth of donations from Max Mosley after the F1 tycoon was revealed to be behind a ‘racist’ election leaflet in 1961
Mr Mosley has denied being racist and insisted his views have changed since the 1960s.
But in an interview with the Guardian published yesterday, he was quoted as saying it was ‘perfectly legitimate to offer immigrants financial inducements to go home’.
In an apparent defence of some of the claims of the leaflet, Mr Mosley added: ‘Just to be very clear, there was no medical check on immigrants. That might be true. It might be true that leprosy and other terrible diseases were on the increase.’
Mr Mosley also reportedly questioned what part of the pamphlet was abhorrent when pressed to give a formal apology, adding: ‘The view that coloured immigration threatens your children’s health; certainly, I find that offensive. The factual things, if they be facts, it’s either true or it’s false.’
As Mr McDonnell was interviewed on Sky News today, presenter Niall Paterson said: ‘I’m wondering what you think of Max Mosley, and I’m not referring to the leaflet that was uncovered this week, instead the interview that he gave a few days ago when he confirmed that he was of the view that it was perfectly legitimate to pay immigrants to go home, to offer them financial incentives, you know, cash for repatriation. I presume that that’s not your view.’
Mr McDonnell responded: ‘No, certainly not, of course it’s not our view and it’s the sort of proposals which we’ve condemned in the past outright.’
When Paterson pressed him on whether Mr Watson should return the money in light of that, Mr McDonnell said: ‘Well the money was given to Tom, Tom took that decision, he took that decision on the basis, I believe on the basis that Max Mosley’s views had changed from years ago…
‘If those are the same views now, well Tom will really need to consider seriously exactly that relationship with Max Mosley and the finances as well because if he is reiterating his views from the past, he clearly hasn’t changed.’
Labour last week said it would no longer accept donations from the tycoon, who has given more than £500,000 to Mr Watson to help his campaign against the press.
Culture Secretary Matt Hancock has said Mr Watson should be ‘thinking very hard’ about handing the cash back.
But Mr Watson has given no hint that he is ready to return the money or give it to charity.
In the Commons last week, Mr Watson said: ‘If I had thought for one moment that he held the views contained in that leaflet of 57 years ago, I would not have given him the time of day.
‘He is, however, a man who, in the face of great family tragedy and overwhelming media intimidation, chose to use his limited resources to support the weak against the strong.’
A spokesman for Mr Watson said today: ‘The Labour Party has said it won’t accept any further donations from Max Mosley.
‘Max no longer holds the views he held over half a century ago.’
A Labour spokesman said last week: ‘We’ve shifted away from payments and contributions from large wealthy donors.
‘We have wanted to keep quite a strong system of control on that and in the case of the Max Mosley payments they have come to an end and they won’t be restarted.’
Mosley, pictured outside his London home last week, has said he doesn’t remember a leaflet bearing his name from the 1960s
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