Keir Starmer has made the worst mistake of his leadership so far

Ian Dunt: ‘Keir Starmer delayed taking action from Saturday, when the news about Ali emerged and waited until Monday night’

So how did it happen? How did they fall through the cracks of Labour’s hyper-disciplined selection process? Ali in particular seems to have taken people by surprise. Starmer’s big mistake – probably the worst of his leadership so far – is to have delayed taking action from Saturday, when the news about Ali emerged, and waiting until Monday night, when reports emerged of a second recording.

He is supported by Nick Griffin of the far-right BNP. He has previously stated that Bradford should be turned into an “Israel-free zone”.This potential knock-on effect of Ali’s suspension troubled many decent-minded people on the progressive left. I now think they, and I, were wrong. By not acting immediately, Starmer turned a small story into a much bigger one, made himself look cynical and his actions expedient. Worst of all, it betrayed the moral project of zero-tolerance on antisemitism. But that’s easier to see in retrospect than it was at the time.

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