Labour MP Wes Streeting branded the Shadow Justice Secretary’s failure to sign up to anti-Semitism pledges “appalling” and said he should be removed from the contest. Rebecca Long-Bailey, along with the four other main leadership candidates, has signed up a series of pledges proposed by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. However, Mr Burgon and Shadow Equalities Minister Dawn Butler have not, prompting Mr Streeting to tell LBC’s Andrew Castle that both of them should be “ruled out” from the Labour deputy leadership contest.

The MP said: “We’re only the second political party in history to be investigated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission for institutional racism.

“That, in its self, is shameful.

“This is not just an issue of votes, this is an issue of morality and principles and showing that we are genuinely an anti-racist party, not just in words but in deeds.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do to try and rebuild trust, and not just among the Jewish community.”

He continued: “I think many Labour MPs were knocking on doors, myself included, and finding lots of people who aren’t Jewish, but are also decent-minded people who want us to change.

“Becky has signed the Board of Deputies’ pledges. That’s a good sign because it says ‘look, I’m listening, we need to know something about this’.

“But she’s been a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and as a member of the NEC she didn’t support the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism.

“That definite was proposed by the vast majority of the Jewish community and is internationally supported.”

Mr Stressing added: ”So, she’s got some explaining to do there.

“I’m afraid in the deputy race, both Richard Burgon and Dawn Butler – ironically, the shadow’s equalities secretary – they haven’t signed those pledges and I think that’s just absolutely appalling.

“It should just rule them out of the race altogether as it says ‘we know best and we’re still not listening’.”

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The race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn is down to four after Jess Phillips quit.

Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer and Wigan MP Lisa Nandy have made it on the final leadership ballot, after securing the necessary trade union and affiliated group support.

Emily Thornberry and Mrs Long-Bailey have yet to reach the threshold.

Ms Phillips said she would be happy with either Ms Nandy or Sir Keir as leader.

However, she argued that Mrs Long-Bailey would be the wrong choice for Labour at this moment.

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