A Labour parliamentary candidate was branded a "stooge for the Zionist Israeli government" - but party chiefs have rejected a complaint claiming the abuse was antisemitic.

Emma Whysall, who is to be the party's candidate for for Chipping Barnet at the next election, complained to Labour's compliance unit after she was targeted with the slur after being selected to fight Conservative MP Theresa Villiers for the seat.

Ms Whysall is not Jewish but has long been a supporter of the Jewish Labour Movement which endorsed her campaign to stand, alongside trade union UNISON and Barnet Young Labour.

But a message sent to her, by someone believed to be a Labour member, read: "Chipping Barnet Labour is not serving the people of Barnet and Britain. [Its] becoming a stooge for the Zionist Israeli government."

Ms Whysall - who lost by only 354 votes to Ms Villiers when she stood in the same seat in 2017 - confirmed to the JC that she had made a complaint to the party, saying the message was antisemitic.

But Labour has notified her that the complaint has been rejected.

Ms Whysall revealed she has questioned this decision and was unable to comment further on the issue.

The JC has contacted Labour for comment.

It is not the first time that Chipping Barnet Labour Party has faced allegations of antisemitism among its members.

In April 2018, Adele Winston, who lives in High Barnet, revealed she had decided to campaign for the Tories, despite having been a Labour member since 1967 after she heard a Chipping Barnet Labour member say "all Jews are rich and corrupt".

She said no one in the party seemed to care and it was not taken seriously.