Jeremy Corbyn faces fresh onslaught as Gordon Brown REFUSES to say he is fit to be PM and demands tougher action on anti-Semitism

  • Jeremy Corbyn sparked a political storm after The Daily Mail ran photographs
  • Labour MP Madeleine Moon refused six times to back Mr Corbyn as PM today
  • Gordon Brown called on his party to urgently tackle the anti-Semitism crisis 
  • Labour peer and professor Lord Winston said Jeremy Corbyn is 'incompetent'

Gordon Brown today refused to back Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister - saying he must 'change' and tackle the anti-Semitism crisis to be fit to govern.

Mr Corbyn faced calls to quit after The Daily Mail published exclusive photographs of him holding a wreath at a ceremony where the mastermind of the Munich massacre was honoured.

He today tried to draw a line under the scandal by saying he has 'sympathy' for the 11 Israelis murdered at the 1972 Munich Games by Palestinian terrorists.

But he is facing a fresh onslaught of criticism as Mr Brown said the Labour leader must do far more to tackle the anti-Semitism crisis.

While Labour MP Madeleine Moon refused six times to endorse him as Prime minister when asked on the radio.

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival today, Mr Brown said Mr Corbyn must finally heed the demands of Jewish leaders and adopt the internationally recognised definition of anti-Semitism.     

Asked if he thought Mr Corbyn was a 'fit and proper person' to be Prime Minister, he said: 'Jeremy Corbyn has got to change.'

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Gordon Brown (pictured today at the Edinburgh International Book Festival) refused to back Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister - saying he must 'change' and tackle the anti-Semitism crisis to be fit to govern

Gordon Brown (pictured today at the Edinburgh International Book Festival) refused to back Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister - saying he must 'change' and tackle the anti-Semitism crisis to be fit to govern

Mr Corbyn sparked international political storm and faced fresh calls to quit after The Daily Mail published this exclusive photograph  showing him at the ceremony. He insists he was there to honour those killed in air strikes on a Palestinian Liberation Organisation base in Tunis in 1985

Mr Corbyn sparked international political storm and faced fresh calls to quit after The Daily Mail published this exclusive photograph  showing him at the ceremony. He insists he was there to honour those killed in air strikes on a Palestinian Liberation Organisation base in Tunis in 1985

Mr Brown added: 'He cannot sustain, particularly what he is saying about the international agreement on what we do in our attitudes to the holocaust and to anti-Semitism.

'I predict to you that that will change within a few weeks. I'm one of many people that's pressing for this change, and I believe that it will change.

What is the timeline of anti-Semitic scandals which have erupted under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership?

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured) has been accused of failing to tackle the racism among his supporters 

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured) has been accused of failing to tackle the racism among his supporters 

The anti-Semitism scandal has dogged Labour since Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader  in 2015.

Here is a timeline of the controversies: 

April 2016:

Labour MP Naz Shah is suspended for anti-Semitic posts - including one in which she appeared to endorse calls for Israelis to be deported to the US. 

She apologised and was given a formal warning.  

Ken Livingstone goes on the radio to defend Ms Shah - but sparks fresh controversy by claiming that Hitler supported Zionism. 

He is suspended by Labour but refuses to apologise and has repeated the claim many times.

He eventually quits Labour two years later, saying his suspension has become a distraction.

June 2016: 

A two-month inquiry by civil liberties campaigner Shami Chakrabarti finds that Labour is not overrun by anti-Semitism. 

But the launch is overshadowed when Jewish Labour MP Ruth Smeeth flees it in tears after being accused by Corbyn supporter Marc Wadsworth of colluding with the press.

Critics accuse the report of being a whitewash and Ms Chakrabarti is widely criticised for accepting a peerage from Jeremy Corbyn shortly afterwards.

October 2016: 

The Home Affairs Select Committee says Labour is guilty of incompetence over its handling of anti-Semitism and of creating a safe space for people with 'vile attitudes towards Jewish people'.

March 2018: 

It is revealed that Jeremy Corbyn defended an artist who painted an anti-Semitic mural and said the offensive art should be removed.

He apologises saying he did not properly look at the picture before he made the post.

Jewish leaders take the unprecedented step of holding a demonstration outside Parliament protesting Mr Corbyn's failure to tackle anti-Semitism.

Several Labour MPs address the crowds.

April 2018:

Marc Wadsworth is expelled from Labour after being accused of anti-Semitism. 

Meanwhile, Labour Jewish MPs tell of the anti-Semitic abuse they have suffered in a powerful parliamentary debate - and round on their leader for failing to tackle it. 

July 2018:

The Labour leadership sparks fresh anger by failing to fully adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism

Peter Willsman, a strong ally of Jeremy Corbyn, is secretly taped ranting that 'Jewish Trump fanatics' invented the anti-Semitism storm engulfing Labour. 

In an angry diatribe at a meeting of Labour's ruling executive committee, he said he was 'amazed' there was evidence party members hated Jews.

He claimed 'some of these people in the Jewish community support Trump – they are Trump fanatics' before shouting: 'So I am not going to be lectured to by Trump fanatics making up duff information without any evidence at all.'

August 2018:

Jeremy Corbyn issues a video insisting he is committed to tackling the racism - but it is panned by Jewish leaders.

Corbynistas mount a social media campaign to get deputy Labour leader Tom Watson to quit after he criticises the party's handling of anti-Semitism. 

The Daily Mail exclusively publishes photos of Jeremy Corbyn holding a wreath at a ceremony where a terrorist linked to the Munich massacre was honoured.

The Labour leader insists he was there to honour others killed - but faces fresh calls to quit over the scandal. 

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'But even that will not be enough. You have got to show by your actions and not simply by statements of words that you understand the deep hurt that has been caused. 

'I'm very clear about that.'

He said the anti-Semitism crisis is a 'rotten sore' festering in the Labour Party and it is 'simply wrong' and has got to be rooted out.

He said: 'The persecution that has been suffered by the Jewish community must never be forgotten.

'It's something that has got to be remembered every time we see racist actions and discrimination in different communities around the world.'

Mr Corbyn has been hit by a fresh crisis in his leadership after photographs of him holding a wreath in Tunis in 2014 were exclusively revealed in The Daily Mail.   

He insists he was there to honour those killed in air strikes on a Palestinian Liberation Organisation base in Tunis in 1985.

But photographs show he appears to be standing by the grave of Salah Khalaf – the Black September founder widely believed to have masterminded the 1972 Munich massacre which saw 11 Israeli athletes murdered. 

Facing the cameras for the third day in a row as he desperately tries to quell anger over the controversy, Mr Corbyn  - who is on a visit to Corby - insisted he is committed to peace.

He told Sky News: 'I have every sympathy for all those who lost lives anywhere – be it Munich, be it Tunis or be it anywhere else. 

'The way forward has to be peace through dialogue.' 

But Labour peer Lord Winston tore into the party leader saying he is unfit to be the head of the party.

He told The Metro:  ‘I’m Jewish but this is not just about anti-Semitism.

‘It’s about competency to lead. It’s been handled very badly and not just by Jeremy Corbyn but the people who advise him and the people who support his narrow view of the world.’

But Labour MP Madeleine Moon refused six times to say Mr Corbyn is fit to be Prime Minister.

Appearing on TalkRadio today, the Labour MP for Bridgend repeatedly refused to give the veteran left-winger her endorsement and said that it is a decision for the British people.

She said that leaders of the party 'come and go' and warned that it is 'not good' for any leader on the front pages for 'too long'.

In an interview, Julian Hartley-Brewer challenged the Labour MP to back her leader for Number Ten.

The presenter said: 'Do you think that a man who lays wreaths at the tombs of terrorists who have killed innocent people is fit to be the British Prime Minister?

Ms Moon replied: 'That will be a decision for the British people.'

Pressed again, she added: 'To make should we ever get to an election. Look, I'm not responsible for what Jeremy did or didn't do in an interview or what he didn't do back in whenever it was.'

She added: 'This is not new news. Jeremy has always been involved in these activities. The people will have to make a decision.'

She went on: 'I look at what the Labour Party's manifesto is whenever it goes into an election and I get behind that manifesto. 

'Individuals as leaders come and go. And the party will look at this I am sure extremely forcefully at the next conference. 

'Let's wait and see what conference decides. 

'There's always a rule in politics: if you're on the front pages for too long you become the story and that's not good because you miss all the good and effective things that the Labour Party is doing in terms of policy and holding this government to account.'

Meanwhile, an Olympic fencer who competed in the Munich Olympics has also ht out at Mr Corbyn over the controversy.  

Edward Hudson, who competed in fencing at the 1972 games, accused the Labour leader of 'lop-sided' sympathies and said Mr Corbyn' is unfit to be PM.

Mr Hudson, 72, said: 'If he wishes to support the Palestine movement, then so be it.

'At the same time, he's clearly condoning what was the outrageous massacre of innocent athletes.

'I find it worrying he has spent his time supporting various terrorist movements.

'I don't think you have potential to be Prime Minister if you have supported terrorist movements.' 

Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn could face an official parliamentary investigation into why he did not declare the 2014 all expenses paid trip to Tunis with the parliamentary authorities. 

Corbyn's lavish hotel for three-day Tunisia trip raises fresh doubts about his failure to declare it

The five-star Le Palace hotel in Gammarth, Tunisia, where the conference in 2014 was held

The five-star Le Palace hotel in Gammarth, Tunisia, where the conference in 2014 was held

Images of the lavish five-star hotel where Jeremy Corbyn stayed on his controversial Tunisia trip has raised fresh doubts over his failed to declare the costs.

The Labour leader is facing a probe by the parliamentary standards commissioner into whether he should have listed the trip on the Commons register. 

He has insisted he did not need to declare the jaunt, which was paid for by the Tunisian government, as it was below the threshold of £660.

But details of the luxury hotel where Mr Corbyn stayed during the three-day trip suggest the level might have been breached. 

According to the website for Le Palace - which overlooks the Mediterranean and boasts a pool, bars and restaurants - suites are charged at up to £1,000 a night. 

The cheapest rooms are currently around £170 a night, and he is thought to have checked in for two nights.

Flights and transport costs are also believed to have been picked up by the Tunisian government. 

Mr Corbyn, who has been visiting Northamptonshire today, insisted:'It was a perfectly public trip and I made that clear at the time. It was under the threshold that was required to declare.'

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The Government of Tunisia, who organised the trip, paid for it. 

Under Commons rules any visits funded by outside groups have to be listed if they pass a cost threshold.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen has written to the parliamentary authorities to complain about the trip not being registered.  

Lord Sheikh - who last week condemned Boris Johnson over his burka comments - also attended the conference and admitted that members of Hamas - a banned terror group operating in Palestine - may have been at the conference.

He said:  'There may have been Hamas. I did not meet any Hamas people, I am very careful, obviously.

'When I talk on Palestine I'm very balanced with regards to Palestine.

'If you read my speeches in the House of Lords I have always been very, very balanced on the whole issue. Both sides obviously have to come to a compromise.

'So I don't sympathise with Hamas, I have no dealing with Hamas.' 

Several Tory MPs have demanded he is investigated by party bosses for attending the conference.

Tory MP Zac Goldsmith also called for an investigation, tweeting:' If this man is not immediately expelled from the Conservative Party, the Party hierarchy's complaints about Corbyn will look entirely cynical.'  

Tory MP Robert Halfon, chairman of the education select committee, said the party must launch a formal investigation into the peer.

He said: 'If this is true, re Lord Sheikh, in attending this conference alongside Mr Corbyn - and  if it is true extremist anti-Semites  and Hamas were in attendance and speaking, there needs to be an investigation by Conservative Party/inquiry re codes of conduct.'    

If Mr Corbyn is found to be at fault then he could be ordered to apologise.      

Mr Corbyn's spokesman said: 'The cost of the trip did not meet the declaration threshold.'

But the Labour leader faced fresh criticism from an Israeli ambassador today over his campaigning for two people jailed for their role in the  bombing of the Israeli embassy in 1994. 

Israelis ambassador condemns Corbyn for fight to free pair behind terror bombing 

The Labour leader faced fresh criticism from an Israeli ambassador today over his campaigning for two people jailed for their role in the  bombing of the Israeli embassy in 1994. 

Samar Alami and Jawad Botmeh, were convicted of conspiracy to cause explosions.

They hoped to shatter the Middle-East peace process in July 1994 by blowing up the Israeli Embassy and the offices of a Jewish charity. 

Mr Corbyn - then a backbench Labour MP - was part of a campaign to free the pair.

Moshe Raviv, who was ambassador from 1993 to 1998, told the Jewish Chronicle:  'It was by sheer luck, just by sheer luck, that people were only injured and nobody was killed.'

He added: 'Even to the present day, it is hard to believe how he could do this, especially, when the High Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights upheld the conviction. I think it shows what kind of attitude Corbyn had towards Palestinian terrorists.'  

A spokesperson for Mr Corbyn said: 'Jeremy believed that there had been a miscarriage of justice. He, of course, condemns all terrorist acts.'  

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Samar Alami and Jawad Botmeh, were convicted of conspiracy to cause explosions.

They hoped to shatter the Middle-East peace process in July 1994 by blowing up the Israeli Embassy and the offices of a Jewish charity.

In court their defence lawyer claimed the car bombs were intended only to be symbolic as they were timed to go off when they would cause minimal-injuries. 

But they caused millions of pounds worth of damage and injured 19 people.

Mr Corbyn - then a backbench Labour MP - was part of a campaign to free the pair.

Moshe Raviv, who was ambassador from 1993 to 1998, told the Jewish Chronicle:  'The southern part of the embassy, the wall behind my desk, was destroyed. There was glass everywhere. Some of our staff were injured...

'It was by sheer luck, just by sheer luck, that people were only injured and nobody was killed.'

He added: ''Even to the present day, it is hard to believe how he could do this, especially, when the High Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights upheld the conviction. 

'I think it shows what kind of attitude Corbyn had towards Palestinian terrorists.' 

A spokesperson for Mr Corbyn said: 'Jeremy believed that there had been a miscarriage of justice. 

'He, of course, condemns all terrorist acts.'  

But Labour MP Madeleine Moon refused six times to say Mr Corbyn is fit to be Prime Minister.

Labour ex leader Gordon Brown (pictured on the BBC in June) said Labour must urgently tackle the anti-Semitism scandal while Labour MP Madeleine Moon (pictured right in the Commons earlier this year) refused six times to back Mr Corbyn as PM