A LABOUR candidate in an upcoming council election has been suspended from the party over allegations of anti-Semitism.

Alan Myers is one of two Labour members standing for the two Weardale seats in the Durham County Council elections next month.

However, Labour North today confirmed Mr Myers had been suspended, pending an investigation into comments made on social media last year.

In one, posted on the Facebook group Labour - Eyes Left - Durham, he said: “The more I learn about Israeli behaviour the more disgusted I am with them. There’s no wonder they are hated amongst Arabs. They are the single cause of the troubles at present.”

He continued: “If you say anything against them they cry anti-Semitism and harp back to the holocaust to curry sympathy. Well, the holocaust is exactly what they are performing on the rightful inhabitants of Palestine with the financial support of the US and UK.

“The problems caused by terrorism presently are 100 per cent caused by the Zionist leaders of Israel (an illegal state) and their billionaire masters.”

The grandfather has been criticised for his language, with one senior Labour party source stating: “Anyone who publicly claims that the world is secretly controlled by Jews, or Jewish people use the holocaust to ‘curry favour’ is unfit to represent Weardale, unfit to represent Durham County Council and unfit to represent the Labour party. Language like this should have no place in the Labour party.”

Mr Myers, from Crook, said: “A complaint has been made against me which, rightly, the party is looking into. Meanwhile I am continuing to campaign to represent the people of our community. I remain a member of the Labour Party.”

A spokesperson from Labour North said: “The Labour Party takes these allegations very seriously. Alan Myers has been suspended from the Labour Party.”

David Collingwood, electoral services manager at the council, said the election would continue without any changes, adding: “Alan Myers was validly nominated with the party description and those details are what will go forward to the election.”