The elected officers of the National Coordinating Group (NCG) have decided to withdraw Momentum’s support for Pete Willsman in Labour’s ongoing NEC election.

While it is welcome that he has made a full apology and will attend equalities training, his comments were deeply insensitive and inappropriate for a Momentum backed NEC candidate.

Our movement is more than half a million strong and we must hold those who represent us to an even higher standard than ordinary Labour Party members.

We must also acknowledge the anger and upset felt within the British Jewish Community and reaffirm our commitment to rooting out antisemitism both in the party and across society.

We recognise Pete’s many years of service to the movement. In the coming months, we will review how we choose NEC candidates and work with other groups to make sure that our process is as open and transparent as possible.

This decision was taken following interventions by Peter Willsman at a recent NEC meeting, for which Peter Willsman rightly apologised and agreed to attend equalities training. The NCG did not argue that Peter Willsman is an antisemite, or that anyone who continues to support him is antisemitic; but they noted that comments he had made were “deeply insensitive and inappropriate for a Momentum-backed NEC candidate”.

For the NEC and NPF candidates Momentum is endorsing in this summer’s elections, please see here.