Labour's anti-Semitism row was 'avoidable', says Carwyn Jones

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FM Carwyn Jones on Sunday Politics
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FM Carwyn Jones told Sunday Politics Wales that the row was avoidable

Labour has created a "wholly avoidable" problem for itself over anti-Semitism, First Minister Carwyn Jones has suggested.

The party adopted new guidelines on anti-Semitism, which have been criticised by some Jewish leaders and MPs.

The code of conduct was rubber-stamped by the executive committee on Tuesday.

It says: "Anti-Semitism is racism. It is unacceptable in our party and in wider society."

But it does not include all of the "working examples" given in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

Mr Jones told Sunday Politics Wales: "It's a wholly avoidable row.

"I can't understand why we just didn't simply accept the usual definition, but we've got ourselves in a position where there's a row in the party that was completely unneeded.

"Why not simply adopt the position that everyone else has adopted, and move on?"