A FORMER Labour council candidate has been suspended from the party over allegations he made anti-semitic comments on Facebook.

Ivor Morgan, a member of the Thornaby Labour group in Teesside, set up a social media page called “The Gentile Labour Forum – but all races and religions can join".

The page attracted just one other member before it was deleted.

Mr Morgan was reported to the Labour party nationally by Stockton South MP Paul Williams, who said: "On Monday night a local party member told me about antisemitic comments made by a local Stockton South member on social media.

"I reported the matter to the Labour Party General Secretary Jennie Formby and requested her to investigate fully.

"Antisemitism has absolutely no place in our party or in our society.

"In our movement, we've seen too many instances like this and we all need to be doing more to get rid of this anti-Jewish hatred from our party. One antisemite in the Labour Party is one antisemite too many."

Mr Morgan, who was an unsuccessful candidate for Stockton Borough Council in May, was contacted for comment but did not respond.

A post from his account read: “I have not intended to be antisemitic, I merely wanted a forum devoid of hostility.

“I acknowledge and am aware of antisemitism. I have been called an antisemite by Jewish zealots."

The group was said to have been set up to avoid interventions from 'right wing Jews' in another pro-Labour group.