Jon Ashworth: I've put forward reforms to expel anti-Semites from Labour

Jon Ashworth revealed he has submitted plans to Mr Corbyn suggesting how the party should change to prevent anti-Semitism from leaving an “indelible mark” on Labour.

The shadow health secretary was in Wolverhampton to visit New Cross Hospital alongside city MPs Emma Reynolds and Pat McFadden.

In an interview with the Express & Star, he outlined Labour’s plans for the NHS, praised "pioneering" New Cross Hospital and called for a public health approach to the country’s knife crime epidemic.

Addressing Labour’s anti-Semitism crisis, he paid tribute to Dudley North MP Ian Austin, who quit the party over its failure to deal with the issue.

“I was deeply saddened when I saw my friend Ian Austin leave Labour,” he said.

“He has been and will continue to be a great fighter for his constituents and a passionate believer in social justice.

“We in the Labour Party have got to ask ourselves some serious questions when we see good colleagues of the calibre of Ian Austin and Luciana Berger feel that they can no longer sit as Labour MPs.

“This issue of anti-Semitism has to be tackled and confronted head-on by the leadership – and as a member of the shadow cabinet I include myself in that.

“It cannot be allowed to leave an indelible mark on a party that has stood against racism for 120 years.”

Mr Ashworth added: “We have to look at ways at which our processes are reformed to kick out and expel anyone expressing anti-Semitic views.

“I have actually put forward proposals in our shadow cabinet and to our leader about what we should do.

“It is easier to be expelled from the Labour Party for signing the nomination paper for somebody who is running against a Labour candidate than it is if you are accused of posting anti-Semitic hatred and poison on Facebook.

“That has got to change shortly.”

Mr Ashworth hit out at Tory failings with the NHS, claiming nine years of chronic under-funding had left hospitals understaffed and with deteriorated standards of care.

He insisted a Labour government would inject £10 billion to improve equipment in hospitals, along with an immediate five per cent annual increase in funding, pay increases for staff and the return of the nursing bursary to boost numbers.

And Mr Ashworth said New Cross was an example for other hospitals to follow.

"This trust has invested in staff and has brought in some quite remarkable innovations, such as how they have linked up with the university to provide training for nurses, and how they have put a lot of effort into the retention of staff and not using costly agency workers like a lot of trusts do,” he said.

"I've been extremely impressed with what I have seen. It's absolutely pioneering. There's a system where they can track patients and staff digitally. It is so innovative and should happen in more NHS hospitals.

"It has helped patients who come in through A&E, for example, to get through the hospital quicker.

"There are proper systems in place to make sure patients do not stay longer than they need to, and there's a proper partnership with the local authority to make sure that social networks in the community are better linked up with the hospital.

"That's actually what you'd expect to see in a lot of places, but sadly it doesn't happen often enough."

Mr Ashworth described the country’s knife crime epidemic as “a wider public health issue” which had been made worse by government cuts to services including youth provision and policing.

“We as a party aspiring to government, we want to invest in our public services, because that improves the social fabric of an area,” he said.

“We also want the criminal justice system to deal with criminals as well, because we must never take away the culpability of the person who has committed a crime

“If you cut away at public services and undermine the fabric of society, then that has consequences.”