After the revelations about Corbyn’s gushing endorsement of a deeply anti-Semitic book, Conservative GLA leader Gareth Bacon wrote to Sadiq Khan asking him to condemn Corbyn’s endorsement to “help reassure vulnerable Jewish Londoners that this sort of disgusting racism will not be tolerated” in London. A pretty reasonable request given 2 in 5 British Jews say they would “serious consider” emigrating if Corbyn got in…

Far from condemning Corbyn, all Sadiq has to say about the matter is that he’s “pleased” that Corbyn rejected the “anti-Semitic elements” of the book, before rattling off a list of things which purportedly show him being tough on anti-Semitism. Funnily enough he forgets to mention having photoshoots with a Labour Councillor whose expulsion he personally called for over anti-Semitism just last year…

Sadiq remarkably even goes on the attack, accusing Bacon of “political point scoring” and calling his letter “extremely distasteful”. It speaks volumes that Sadiq uses that sort of language to attack a letter raising concerns about anti-Semitism, while turning a blind eye to Corbyn’s anti-Semitism itself…

Read Sadiq’s letter in full:

Dear Gareth,

Anti-Semitism is an evil that has no place in our city, in our country or anywhere around the world.

As you know, I have been standing up for London’s Jewish community and standing up against anti-Semitism ever since I was elected as Mayor.

As you have acknowledged, I have consistently condemned anti-Semitism wherever it has reared its ugly head — whether calling out anti-Semitism within the Labour party, calling for the political wing of Hezbollah to be banned more than a year before the Government decided to act, or condemning the growing anti-Semitism on the far-right.

The first official function I attended as Mayor was the Yom HaShoah Commemoration — a service I have attended every year since and will do again this Sunday. As Mayor, I have signed London up to the Mayors United Against Anti-Semitism Pledge. I adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism at City Hall. I have co-hosted many events with the Chief Rabbi. And I have been honoured to address the President’s Dinner of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and many other Jewish community events.

It’s clear that some of the things written in JA Hobson’s Imperialism: A Study are anti-Semitic and deeply offensive, and I absolutely condemn these views. And I’m pleased that Jeremy Corbyn has made clear that he totally rejects all the anti-Semitic elements of the book.

I have consistently called out the leadership of the Labour party for failing to act quickly and decisively enough to stamp out anti-Semitism. As part of this, I urged the Labour party to follow City Hall’s lead by adopting the IHRA definition before they did so. And I have consistently called for all Labour party members who have been anti-Semitic to be investigated, suspended and expelled far quicker than is currently the case. I therefore find your letter, which is clearly a politically motivated attempt to imply otherwise, extremely distasteful. It quite frankly belittles the extremely serious issue of tackling anti-Semitism in London and across our society when it is used for political point scoring. Tackling anti-Semitism is too important for that. We must all work together to defeat this scourge in our city and in our society.

Yours sincerely,

Sadiq Khan

Mayor of London