Kirklees councillor suspended from Labour over antisemitic content claim

Councillor Ebrahim Dockrat has been suspended from the Labour Party

A Kirklees councillor has been suspended from the Labour Party after being accused of sharing antisemitic content on social media.

Ebrahim Dockrat is under investigation by the party, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

He has also been criticised for liking a tweet by Jackie Walker, who was expelled from the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership over claims of antisemitism.

Mr Dockrat declined to comment.

The Batley East councillor was elected in August's by-election and took the seat of former councillor Fazila Loonat who received a jail sentence for perverting the course of justice in an attempt to avoid a speeding penalty.

After being elected, Mr Dockrat vowed a fresh start for his constituents.

Councillor Ebrahim Dockrat won his seat at Kirklees Council in August's by-election

A source close to Kirklees Labour told LDRS: "The situation in Gaza and Israel is deeply upsetting and all of us in the Labour Party want the violence against innocent civilians to end immediately - but sharing antisemitic imagery is never acceptable.

"Labour condemns antisemitism in the strongest possible terms and it's right that any complaints are investigated, taken seriously and dealt with appropriately."

A Labour Party spokesperson said: "Under Keir Starmer's leadership, the party has ripped out antisemitism at its roots. We will continue to fight antisemitism and all forms of hate speech every day of the week, it has no place in the Labour Party."

The Israel-Hamas conflict had previously caused tension within Kirklees' Labour group when almost half of the group signed an open letter distancing themselves from Sir Keir's comments made during an LBC interview about withholding power and water from Palestinians.

One councillor said council leader Cathy Scott had told them they were at risk of suspension due to their actions.

Since then, the group have taken a more collaborative approach to the issue, with a letter sent to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling on the government to support efforts to put an end to the hostilities.