Labour call for Rishi Sunak to suspend Dover candidate

Labour have called on the Conservative Party to suspend their Dover and Deal candidate Stephen James after he posted an image that Labour have called "antisemitic".

Mr James posted a cartoon depicting men with hooked noses at the White Cliffs of Dover carrying bags of “false hopes".

He claimed he was “the only true local candidate” in the now-deleted X (formerly Twitter) post which criticised so-called "carpetbaggers".

Mr James told the BBC he "apologises wholeheartedly for any offence caused by this image" and has since deleted it from social media.

He added that the image was "created by AI which usually has safeguards to stop harmful images being created, but on this instance fell short".

Speaking on a visit to Kent, Labour's shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry said: "I am urging Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives to suspend this candidate from the election, anyone who posts material like that isn't fit to be an MP."

Ms Thornberry said it showed an "appalling lack of judgement" .

A Labour spokesperson said that "sharing antisemitic material is unacceptable".

The spokesperson added: "Rishi Sunak should condemn Mr James’s actions, and immediately suspend him as a candidate. "

A Conservative party spokesperson said: “The party has spoken to this individual and reminded them of the party’s code of conduct and standards expected of candidates including on social media."

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