Owen Jones, the Guardian columnist, has quit social media after being accused of being “in the pay of the Israeli government”.

The writer and left wing activist announced he was quitting in a Facebook post, saying his experience online had been "utterly depressing".

He wrote: "On a daily basis I have angry strangers yelling at me, on the one hand, that I'm responsible for the destruction of the Labour Party.

"And on the other, I'm a right-wing sellout careerist who's allied to Tony Blair and possibly in the pay of the Israeli government."

He received criticism when he agreed to address an inaugural memorial lecture in honour of his friend and Jewish Labour Movement stalwart, Henry Smith.

Mr Jones said some of the abuse directed towards him on social media from far right extremists amounted to threats of “torture and murder”.

He said abuse also came from Labour and Conservative supporters.