How Israel’s war against Hamas poisoned the politics of one English town

In the video, Ryan is then confronted and told “do you have no shame coming round here, when your leader and yourself (sic) support the mass killing, the murder, the slaughter of innocent men, women and children”.

The JC presented Ryan with a recording of a June meeting by local community group Burnley Brierfield Vote (BBV) in which Birtwistle was challenged over why he had not called Israel’s campaign in Gaza a “genocide”.

Birtwistle could be heard claiming that this was because “Jewish groups” had previously tried to get him kicked out of the Liberal Democrats.

“I will call it that in parliament when I have the protection,” he told the meeting. Reacting to the JC’s recording, Ryan said he was “shocked” and that Birtwistle and the Liberal Democrats had questions to answer.

“The Liberal Democrats ought to confirm whether what he said was true, and if not, why was he making a concerted effort to appear – to applause – as the candidate ‘Jewish groups’ were against?”

The Times has reported that BBV is run by “a group of local Muslim leaders including imams, businessmen and solicitors”.

Separately, and more broadly, the JC has been told that the contest was made more toxic by some election campaigning to Burnley’s Muslim community that highlighted that Ryan and Higginbotham were openly gay.

As an MP, Birtwistle was one of four Liberal Democrats to vote against gay marriage. “I have been against it right from the beginning because I believe that’s the view of the vast majority of people in Burnley,” he told the Lancashire Telegraph in 2013. Birtwistle was contacted for comment.

Note: The article originally stated that Birtwistle was the sole Liberal Democrat MP to vote against gay marriage. This was incorrect, the other MPs who also did so were Sir Alan Beith, John Pugh and Sarah Teather.