Labour showed ‘breathtaking’ lack of humanity for failing to understand antisemitism, says Sadiq Khan

Mr Khan said his Jewish friends who did not vote for the party were correct on racism: “It’s a disqualification to be Labour leader if you don’t understand it and don’t have a clear plan to address it.”

Members with antisemitic views needed to be expelled and quickly, he continued.

“You’ve got to. If someone takes us to court, so be it. The ease with which Alastair Campbell was chucked out for talking about voting for another party, and yet you have antisemites still in, beggars belief.”

Ken Livingstone, Mr Khan’s predecessor as London mayor, was a clear case: “He said things that were clearly antisemitic. He remained a Labour member for two years until he quit. He wasn’t kicked out.”

Racism and antisemitism became “normalised” if they are not addressed at their roots, he told the newspaper, adding: “It is toxic. I met decent people who said, ‘It’s a bit smelly, this antisemitism stuff,’ and they didn’t vote for us.”

He said he was tired of the “whataboutery” used in Labour’s defence: “Sure, the Tories may be Islamophobic. That doesn’t concern me. The standards I expect from Labour are higher than other parties.”