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Labour suspends three councillors over Israel comments

Labour has suspended three councillors over controversial messages posted on social media, in the latest development in a party row over alleged anti-semitism.

Burnley councillor Shah Hussain; Blackburn with Darwen councillor Salim Mulla; and Nottingham City councillor Ilyas Aziz were all suspended pending investigation.

The suspensions come a day after Jeremy Corbyn claimed Labour is "united" in fighting anti-semitism and all forms of racism at a May Day rally.

The row began last week following the suspension of Labour MP Naz Shah and highly-controversial comments made by Ken Livingstone linking Hitler and Zionism.

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Labour minister: there is 'clearly' an issue in party

Shadow education secretary Lucy Powell Credit: PA

A shadow cabinet minister has said that there "clearly is an issue with anti-Semitism" within Labour, after the party suspended three councillors in one day.

Shadow education secretary Lucy Powell said a "small element" within the party had a problem, and that it would be "very difficult" to see how Ken Livingstone could return to the party after his comments last week.

There clearly is an issue with anti-Semitism in the Labour Party otherwise we wouldn't have spent the best part of the last six or seven days talking about it.

I think it is a very small element within the Labour Party and probably a small element in wider society as well. And that's why we are taking swift action to root it out.

– Lucy Powell MP

She made the remarks after three councillors were suspended pending investigations into controversial comments on social media.

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Labour suspends three councillors over Israel comments

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