The BBC has pulled a debate on whether anti-Zionism should be a protected characteristic from today’s edition of its Sunday programme on Radio 4.

There had been outrage over the planned segment in the programme, which examines ethical and religious issues, with Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl condemning it as a “grotesque insult to an overwhelming majority of British Jews”.

Among those due to participate was Diana Neslen, a member of Jewish Voice for Labour, formed in 2017 by Jewish Labour members to support then leader Jeremy Corbyn in the wake of mounting concern about widespread antisemitism within the party.

Ms Neslen has denied that former MPs Luciana Berger and Dame Louise Ellman were “hounded out” of the party during Mr Corbyn’s leadership and has also posted: “Zionism is not Judaism. It is blasphemy.”

The JC understands that the programme makers had a change of heart about Ms Neslen’s participation. A potential alternative participant considered by the programme team was said by the Board to hold “unacceptable” opinions.

Mrs van der Zyl said that “those on the fringes of our community have every right to express their views. Yet for our national broadcaster to invite such people to give their view, and then ask a representative of one of our communal organisations to ‘debate’ this view, places these opinions on an equal footing and gives listeners an utterly inaccurate impression of the general view of British Jews.”

Critics of the move have accused the Board and others of wanting to shut down open debate.

The anger with the Radio 4 show is further evidence of the strained relations between the BBC and the Jewish community as the row rages on over its reporting of the antisemitic attack on Jewish teenagers in Oxford Street.