Jeremy Corbyn in fresh blow as two more candidates forced to step down in anti-Semitic storm

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JEREMY Corbyn has suffered a candidate crisis as TWO more are forced to step down over anti-Semitic comments in 24 hours.

Gideon Bull in Clacton and Kate Ramsden in Edinburgh have both dropped out of the race a day after two other Labour MP hopefuls were facing calls to pull out over controversial comments.

Jeremy Corbyn is facing a candidate crisis after three more were forced to step down over controversial comments

CORBYN CRISIS

Jane Aitcheson was blasted after she defended fellow candidate Zarah Sultana who said she would celebrate the death of Tony Blair.

Ms Aitcheson, standing Pudsey, Yorkshire, compared it to people celebrating Hitler’s death in a car crash radio interview – where she took almost 13 seconds to answer a question.

Mr Bull has stepped aside after he was accused of using the term shylock when speaking to a Jewish colleague on Clacton Borough Council.

Shylock is a Jewish moneylender in William Shakespeares Merchant of Venice and has since been used as a derogatory term.

But Mr Bull claimed he did not know it was an anti-Semitic slur and denied abusing Zena Brabazon, the deputy leader of the council.

He told the Braintree and Witham Times: I used an analogy when referring to a housing decision being called in by backbenchers.

I was not referring to the councillor, who was not part of the call in.

When she politely informed me that this saying was offensive, I immediately apologised and explained that I did not know that Shylock was Jewish and I would never have mentioned Shylock if I had known this.

I grew up in a working class area in Ilford where this was a common saying, but I didn’t know it was offensive.

However, he said now was not the best time for him to be standing.

ISRAEL ‘ABUSED CHILD’

Meanwhile Scottish Labour candidate Kate Ramsden stepped down after she compared Israel to a child abuser in a blog post
Ms Ramsden, who was standing in the Gordon constituency currently held by Conservative Colin Clark, had said Israel is like an “abused child” who then goes on to commit abuse.

Labour said the candidate had resigned for “personal reasons”.

Ms Ramsden’s resignation came as party colleague Frances Hoole in Edinburgh South West was forced to step aside – following a controversial tweet.

Ms Hoole posted a meme with the slogan “bang and the Terf is gone”.

‘TERF’ SLUR

Terf, meaning trans-exclusionary radical feminist, is considered an insulting term for those who are campaigning for sex-based rights.

Ms Cherry had shared tweet, saying she had received a death threat and a “storm of misogynistic abuse for defending #womensrights”.

Ms Hoole told the Edinburgh Evening News: “I am genuinely really sorry I posted it. I’m sorry about the violent content.

“Obviously it’s a controversial subject – not the violence, I’m completely explicit about that being wrong – but the subject attached to it has got confused in the issue.

Both candidates were re-interviewed by the Labour Party, according to media reports.

It comes as former Labour MPs John Woodcock and Ian Austin on Thursday urged the public not to vote for the party.

Mr Austin, who quit the party over its anti-semitism scandal, branded Mr Corbyn unfit to be PM and backed Boris Johnson to win the election.

He told The Times: Jeremy Corbyn is an extremist. Hes allowed the Labour Party to be poisoned by extremism and racism, he supported terrorism, he cant be trusted with our defence and he always picks the wrong side.

Mr Austin’s comments came hours after deputy leader Tom Watson resigned from Labour.

Mr Watson, who has represented West Bromwich since 2001, said: The decision is personal, not political.”

He made the shock move after finding himself in a vulnerable position after repeated clashes with hard-left supporters of Mr Corbyn.

It culminated with the cabal trying to remove him in an attempted coup – which he described as a “drive-by shooting”.

Mr Austin and ex-Labour MP John Woodcock stand next to a billboard calling Mr Corbyn a ‘disgrace’