Sajid Javid, the new Home Secretary, has accused Jeremy Corbyn of presiding over “a hostile environment in his own party” which has tolerated both antisemitism and racism.

In an angry exchange during this afternoon’s Commons debate on the Windrush generation, responded to comments from fellow Conservative MP Simon Hoare relating to the racist taunts directed at Mr Javid this by hard-left activists on social media.

Mr Javid said: “When people talk about a hostile environment, what my right honourable friend reminds me of is some of the hard-left who have joined the party opposite ever since the Leader of the Opposition became leader – and how their antisemitism has been tolerated.”

He then added he was “talking about people of the hard-left that have created a hostile environment in their own party. People that welcomed my appointment by called me a ‘coconut’ and an ‘Uncle Tom’.”

The Home Secretary challenged Mr Corbyn to come to the despatch box and “denounce them”.
In Mr Corbyn’s place, Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said she “knows what it is like to suffer racist abuse”.

Ms Abbott added she had already condemned the abuse directed at Mr Javid and that “everyone” on the Labour side condemned it.