A Jewish Labour candidate has condemned the local party in the constituency where he stood for parliament, saying its meetings have become “unpleasant, aggressive experiences” after a takeover by hard-left activists.

Oliver Coppard, who narrowly lost to Nick Clegg in Sheffield Hallam in 2015, was speaking after the Constituency Labour Party (CLP) passed a motion backing controversial MP Chris Williamson – which just one person opposed.

It came amid a raft of local parties and branches passed motions backing Mr Williamson, who was suspended for saying the party was “too apologetic” over its antisemitism crisis under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

Mr Coppard told the JC: “What is left [in the CLP] is a self-selecting group of people who are taking decisions without the consent of the wider membership.

“I felt disappointed and angry that this has happened. As a candidate, I felt nothing but support and encouragement from the CLP.”

The JC understands that the Sheffield Hallam member who voted against the motion had not initially planned to attend but did so after learning it had been tabled.

The motion is understood to have provoked the resignation of a number of members.

Olivia Blake, who is due to be Labour’s candidate for the seat at the next election, did not attend the part of the meeting when the motion was debated and passed, but said she “strongly disagreed” with Mr Williamson.

Last week, the JC reported that Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott attended a meeting of her Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP where another motion was passed that dismissed the claim Labour was “institutionally antisemitic”.

The JC has learned that Hackney’s elected mayor Philip Glanville also attended. Neither he nor Ms Abbott chose to speak up against the motion.

A source at the meeting said some Jewish members were “extraordinarily upset”.

He added: “I just don’t understand why it was necessary. We have a lot of Jewish members. Obviously it was going to cause a lot of people a lot of upset, and that’s what it did.

“There were a lot of people in tears. Some said they wouldn’t be coming back again.”

When asked why he did not speak up, Mayor Glanville said: “It is incumbent on all of us who care about the Labour Party as an organisation, and potentially transformative Government that we so desperately need, to ensure it should be a welcoming, not hostile place for Jewish members of all Labour traditions”.

A Labour spokesperson said: "We completely reject claims of institutional antisemitism. Antisemitism complaints received since April 2018 relate to about 0.1 per cent of our membership, but one antisemite in our party is one too many.

"We are determined to tackle antisemitism and root it out of our Party once and for all."

CLPs in Uxbridge and South Ruislip; Hastings and Rye and Bristol East have all backed statements backing Mr Williamson.

Similar motions were approved by a Momentum branches, trades union and left-wing groups from Camden, Ilford, Swansea, Birmingham, and Brent.

The JC understands that Labour has rejected all motions concerning individual disciplinary cases, and the party's General Secretary Jennie Formby has directed all CLPs they are “not competent business for discussion”.

The Chorlton ward Labour Party, part of the Manchester Withington CLP, passed a motion in support of the Jewish community with near-unanimity.

It read: "Antisemitism has no place in our movement. Labour can only rebuild the trust of the Jewish community by dealing with all complaints and by tackling a culture in which antisemitism has been able to spread and by adopting a zero-tolerance policy.

"We fully commit to supporting the work done by the JLM (Jewish Labour Movement) and are proud to be affiliated to them nationally."