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Ex-Home Secretary Jacqui Smith 'so f**king angry' about 'antisemitic conspiracy theorist' Pete Willsman

Senior party figure was recorded ranting about how 'Israeli embassy' is behind Labour's Jew-hate crisis

June 3, 2019 10:20
Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, pictured in 2010
1 min read

Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has called Labour's Pete Willsman the “worst combination of an antisemitic conspiracy theorist you could imagine”, after he was suspended for ranting about how the "Israeli embassy" was behind the party's antisemitism crisis.

Speaking after a tape recording of Mr Willsman revealed he had claimed Labour’s antisemitism crisis on was being "whipped up" by the embassy, Ms Smith said: “I’m so f**king angry about him.”

The first woman to be home secretary said the recording - in which Mr Willsman also said Labour staffers were working "indirectly" for the embassy – also criticised the party for merely suspending Mr Willsman over the “bang to rights recording.”

Speaking on the For The Many with Iain Dale and Jacqui Smith podcast, Ms Smith said: “If you can auto-exclude somebody for what Alastair (Campbell)  said you should certainly be able to auto-exclude somebody for what he said.”