A Labour councillor who staunchly defended former leader Jeremy Corbyn and ex-Momentum vice-chair Jackie Walker against charges of antisemitism has been elected as chairwoman of the party’s main disciplinary body, the National Constitutional Committee.

Emine Ibrahim, a London Labour Momentum board member and Haringey councillor, posted in a Facebook chat in 2016: “Does anyone on here or in the party think Jeremy is an antisemite? If they don’t then associating him with antisemitism is a slur on his character and his policies.”

In 2016, Ms Ibrahim defended Ms Walker after she was readmitted to the party following suspension for claiming that “many Jews were the chief financiers of the sugar and slave trade,” on a Facebook group forum. Asked how she could defend Ms Walker’s views, Ms Ibrahim said: “Because I have met her and spoken to her and so I believe her when she says she is not an antisemite.”

Later the same year, Ms Walker was suspended again for comments made during antisemitism training and was eventually expelled by the NCC in 2019. Speaking to the JC, Ms Ibrahim said her comments pre-dated her time on the NCC.

She said: “With regard to Jackie Walker, I commented after she had been cleared by the party process of the time. As I had no role in party disciplinary processes at the time and as an ordinary party member, I took at face value that the decision was made based on a thorough investigation and party process.”

She added that subsequent to her election to the NCC in 2017 she had not and would not comment on individual cases – including a subsequent investigation into Ms Walker. She added: “With regard to Jeremy Corbyn, again for the same reasons I have not commented on individual cases. Antisemitism and all forms of discrimination need to be rooted out in all its forms.”