Livingstone 'says Jews are too rich to vote for him'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Labour mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone was last night attempting to distance himself from accusations that he believes London's Jews are too wealthy to vote for him.
A private letter to Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, written by group of prominent members of the Jewish community, expressing concerns about Mr Livingstone's views on Jews and his "relationship with radical Islamist politics", was leaked to the Jewish Chronicle newspaper.
The authors, who included a leading liberal rabbi, said that during a recent private meeting, which discussed May's election, Mr Livingstone used "pejorative" language that was classically anti-Semitic.
The letter concluded Jewish supporters were finding it "harder and harder to consider voting for Ken".
A spokesperson for the Livingstone campaign said the discussion with Jewish leaders was private and based on "Chatham House rules", adding: "Ken's campaign will be seeking the votes of all Jewish voters from all backgrounds and incomes."
The Labour campaign denied the accusations of anti-Semitism, saying there were "bound to be different" interpretations of what was discussed.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments