Ms George was asked to comment on “the councillor loving a post on his Facebook that called the… independent [MPs] Israelis.”
The MP answered that “the comment appears not to refer to the independent MPs but to their financial backers.
“Support from the State of Israel, which supports both Conservative and Labour ‘Friends of Israel’ of which Luciana was chair is possible and I would not condemn those who suggest it, especially when the group’s financial backers are not being revealed. It’s important for democracy to know the financial backers for any political group or policy.”
Ms George was widely condemned for her comments. The Board of Deputies tweeted: “What on earth does Ruth George MP think she is saying? That the departure of seven previously Labour MPs could be funded by Israel? Jews are rightly concerned when elected representatives start indulging conspiracy theories and tropes.”
Meanwhile the Jewish Leadership Council pointed out that “yesterday 7 @UKLabour MPs resigned, many of them citing institutional antisemitism. Labour frontbenchers are still denying that reality.
“The dust has barely settled and another Labour councillor and MP have found themselves embroiled in allegations of antisemitism - what now?”
In 2017, the Derbyshire MP was forced to distance herself from a Twitter account in her name which compared the then Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, to Hitler. A spokesman for the Labour politician said that the account in question was not operated by her, but by "a very passionate campaign volunteer”.
On Tuesday afternoon, a few hours after her original comment, Ms George tweeted:
“On my earlier response to a Facebook comment, I unreservedly and wholeheartedly apologise for my comment. I had no intention of invoking a conspiracy theory and I am deeply sorry that my ill-thought out and poorly worded comment did this. I withdraw it completely.”
The responses to her apology, however, were largely unsympathetic.
“I would absolutely LOVE to know what you actually meant when you implied that a bunch of MPs who resigned from a party prone to conspiratorial statements about undue Jewish influence were doing so because of undue Jewish influence”, one account replied.
“What a complete crock. You said it because you think it”, another said.
“I voted for you in 2017 in spite of Corbyn and the hard left. Now I see what a mistake that was.”
