The Liberal Democrat leader has described previous comments made by David Ward, a former MP who accused Jews of “inflicting atrocities on Palestinians,” as “offensive, wrong and antisemitic.”

Mr Ward has been selected to run in the general election as the party’s candidate in Bradford East. Tim Farron said he disagreed with his comments but it was not for him to intervene in the selection process.

Mr Farron said: “I am fully aware of the comments David Ward has made in the past and I find them deeply offensive, wrong and antisemitic,” he said. 

“I think his decision to stand again, and the local party’s decision to select him, is wrong and I disagree with it completely.

“I don't select our individual candidates and nor should I. But let me be clear, I won't tolerate antisemitism in my party.”

Mr Ward, who has been picked to stand in the seat he held from 2010 to 2015, was condemned by politicians, Jewish groups and Shoah survivors in 2013 after using his blog to equate Jewish suffering in the Holocaust with Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.

After signing a Holocaust Educational Trust book of remembrance, Mr Ward had blogged that he was “saddened that the Jews, who suffered unbelievable levels of persecution during the Holocaust, could within a few years of liberation from the death camps be inflicting atrocities on Palestinians”.

He subsequently apologised for the “unintended offence” but caused controversy by asking whether he could make the same remarks again using the term “Jewish community” instead of “the Jews”.

A Board of Deputies spokesperson reacted to the news that he had been re selected.

"It is deeply disappointing to us and very embarrassing for the Liberal Democrats that David Ward has once again been selected," he said.

Karen Pollock, Holocaust Educational Trust chief executive, said: “This is unbelievable. It is beyond parody that someone who has repeatedly expressed antisemitic and deliberately incendiary views would be selected to be a Parliamentary representative by a mainstream political party.

"This is pretty shocking and hugely disappointing.”

Alasdair Hill, Lib Dem candidate for Hendon, said he had “raised a formal complaint to the Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats (EMLD) and party president Sal Brinton," about Mr Ward being selected.

Mr Hill said: “The views that Mr Ward continues to raise regarding the Jewish community are abhorrent and are against our core values of equality, freedom and justice.

"The Liberal Democrats stand on a platform of openness and celebration of all faiths and none and we will stand up to antisemitism both outside and within our party.

"I have been assured by EMLD that my complaint is been taken seriously and is being raised internally as a matter of urgency."

Mr Farron attempted to assure potential Jewish voters that the party would take strong action against antisemitism.

“David Ward has been disciplined in the past and if he or anyone else makes antisemitic remarks in this campaign I will expect the party to act quickly and decisively, as we did when we suspended a candidate in Luton South yesterday,” he said.

Ashuk Ahmed, who was hoping to stand for the party, was suspended for a series of previous antisemitic posts on social media.

In May last year Mr Ward, who was elected as a Lib Dem councillor in the west Yorkshire city, had to be reminded of his party’s stance against antisemitism after he backed a Labour MP’s Jew-hate comments.

Following his local elections win he tweeted: “Credit to #NazShah for raising important issue of #US support for rogue State of #Israel”.

On Holocaust Memorial Day 2016, Mr Ward tweeted: "#HolocaustMemorialDay theme 'Don't stand by' we must speak out for all - including #Palestinians - who face persecution and discrimination."

On the day of the Westminster terror attack in March, the former MP, blamed the West for PC Keith Palmer’s murder. He wrote on the social media site that "all terrorist attacks in UK stem from our foreign policy".

He went further on LBC this morning by agreeing with Stop the War that Britain has “reaped a whirlwind for Iraq and Afghanistan”.

A Lib Dem spokesman condemned Mr Wards comments saying they were “an affront to the victims of the Westminster attack. He absolutely does not speak for the party and we disassociate ourselves completely from his remarks.”