Recording suggests Labour Peer blamed “Jewish conspiracy” for driving conviction

The Times(£) have a report this morning (“Muslim peer Lord Ahmed blames Jewish conspiracy for jailing him”) which states that:

“Lord Ahmed claimed that his prison sentence for dangerous driving resulted from pressure placed on the courts by Jews “who own newspapers and TV channels”. Britain’s first male Muslim peer also alleged that the judge who jailed him for 12 weeks was appointed to the High Court after helping a “Jewish colleague” of Tony Blair during “an important case”.”

“A Labour spokesman said that the party would investigate the comments. “The Labour Party deplores and does not tolerate any sort of racism or anti-Semitism. We will be seeking to clarify these remarks as soon as possible.””

“[Lord Ahmed] said yesterday that he had “no recollection” of giving the TV interview last year. “I’ve done a lot of interviews. If you’re saying that you have seen this footage then it may be so but I need to see the footage and I need to consult with my solicitors before I make any comments in relation to this,” he added.”

The paper say that they have obtained four separate Urdu-English translations of the remarks to ensure that the transcript is accurate – and have posted the video (with transcript) on their website. The recording appears to have been made on a smartphone from a TV, and the interview is alleged to have taken place nearly a year ago.

This isn’t the first time that Ahmed has been embroiled in controversy over comments attributed to him whilst in Pakistan. Last year he was suspended from the party after it was alleged that he had offered a “bounty” for Barack Obama. And yet only a few days what he actually said emerged. His suspension was later lifted.

If Ahmed is found to have said the words attributed to him, then the he should be condemned and disciplined by the party – but no doubt based on past experience, the party will be treading carefully until the full facts are established.

Update i: James Lyons of the Mirror is reporting that Ahmed has been suspended from the Labour Party.

Update ii: Here’s the statement from the party:

“The Labour Party deplores and does not tolerate any sort of racism or anti-semitism. Following reports in the Times today we are suspending Lord Ahmed pending an investigation.”