A huge development breaking in the Labour anti-Semitism scandal tonight: Momentum’s Christine Shawcroft has resigned as head of the party’s disputes panel (after just weeks in post) over her defence of an activist who posted a Holocaust denial article on social media. As the Daily Mail reports, top Corbynista Shawcroft sent an email on Sunday in support of Labour council candidate Alan Bull, who posted this on Facebook:

Shawcroft said in a statement:

“I sent this email before being aware of the full information about this case and I had not been shown the image of his abhorrent Facebook post. Had I seen this image, I would not have requested that the decision to suspend him be re-considered. I am deeply sorry for having done so.

”This week we have seen a clear expression of the pain and hurt that has been caused to Jewish members of our party and the wider Jewish community by anti-Semitic abuse and language, and by the reality of antisemitism being denied and downplayed by others.

“In light of this, I have decided to stand down as Chair of the Disputes Panel to ensure my wrong and misguided questions on this case do not cause doubt or anxiety about our processes. We must eliminate antisemitism from our Party and wider society. To do this we must make sure our process are as robust as possible and have the faith and confidence of our members.”

Shawcroft ousted Ann Black as disputes panel chair in January. She is still on the NEC. Shawcroft is a key ally of Jezza, this revelation will heap even more pressure on Corbyn…