Diane Abbott: Labour Had An Issue With The Time Taken To Investigate Anti-Semitism

27 January 2019, 17:59

Diane Abbott says Labour is working "really hard" on complaints of anti-Semitism within the party but admits there was an issue of time when the numbers of complaints rose last year.

The Shadow Home Secretary told Ayesha Hazarika that "there was an issue with the time it took to investigate some of these complaints of anti-Semitism".

"We are working really hard on this," Ms Abbott said.

"I've always been anti-racism, it's the heartbeat of my politics."

Her comments come as new figures reveal a worrying number of people who believe the Holocaust did not happen.

It's as survivors, politicians and members of the public remember the six million Jewish victims on Holocaust Memorial Day.

A poll by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust found that 1 in 20 adults think the Holocaust did not take place, and that two-thirds of respondents either couldn't say how many jews were murdered or under-estimated the number.

The Labour Party faced criticism over allegations of anti-Semitism within the party last year with some members of the Jewish community, including Labour MPs, condemning the party's leadership over its handling of the issue.