THERE has always been anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, according to Jew and long-term Labour man Ben Grower.

Mr Grower, former Labour councillor for Bournemouth and now an honorary alderman, said hostility to Jews was something he had encountered throughout his 46 year membership, and "it is not getting any better".

"The lessons have not been learned": Holocaust Memorial Day

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is currently embroiled in a row over whether he has done enough to tackle anti-Semitism in the party. An open letter by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council accuses Labour of "repeated institutional failure". Mr Corbyn has said he is "sincerely sorry" about "pockets of anti-Semitism" in the party.

"There has always been an element within the party, in recent years it is getting worse, I think the comments by Jeremy Corbyn are too little, too late," said Mr Grower.

"My family were from East London, they were at Cable Street standing up to the Fascists and an uncle fought in the Spanish Civil War, I think they would be shocked.

"It is a great shame and not what the Labour Party was originally about. It is distracting us from promoting good socialist views, and the current leadership hasn't helped at all.

"It does worry people. The problem is it doesn't worry enough people."

Mr Grower said he didn't expect the anti-Semitism problem to be solved for "a long time, but he will remain in the party to "fight for what I believe in".

North Dorset Tory MP Simon Hoare said yesterday he would be joining a protest against anti-Semitism in Parliament Square, and he blamed the "far left" for taking over the Labour Party.

"It is absolutely astonishing and shameful that an event like this has to be organised in Britain today," he said. "Jeremy Corbyn has always campaigned on human rights, but this issue is his Achilles Heel. This has got to be called out now."

There is a sizeable Jewish community in Bournemouth, and last year the council introduced a measure defining anti-Semitism so it could better take action against it. Promoting this was Cllr David Kelsey, borough 'equality and diversity champion'.

He said: "I can't believe in 2018 the Labour Party is still going on about this. They need to get their house in order. There hasn't been a great deal of anti-Semitism in Bournemouth, although we have had some problems around the synagogues."

Tory Cllr Anne Filer, a member of the Jewish community, said: "The Labour Party was always the instigator of marches against the Black Shirts and has always been on the side of the people, so this is very disturbing. We have friends who have voted Labour all their lives but who aren't sure what they will do now.

"Britain has always been such a tolerant society, it seems it is becoming more legitimate to be anti-Semitic. It is really worrying."