TRADE unionists in MP Chris Williamson’s Derby hometown and constituency rallied to support him today, declaring: “We want our Derby MP back in the Labour Party.”

Mr Williamson was suspended again on Friday just days after a disciplinary panel ruled in favour of restoring the whip.

Some 120 MPs and lords had signed a statement attacking the original ruling while panel member Keith Vaz U-turned on his own judgement, saying it was suspect as he had received medical treatment that day and had not had much time to consider the issue.

But Derby area trades union council secretary Moz Greenshields said Mr Williamson was “the victim of unfairness and injustice” and was being targeted because “he puts the interests of ordinary people first, unlike others. That’s his real ‘crime.’

“Williamson has always spoken up loud and clear against bigotry and discrimination.” 

Ms Greenshields pointed out that, while deputy leader of Derby City Council, he had been “instrumental” in getting Holocaust memorial activities established in the city.

The trades council’s intervention follows the Labour Party Northern Ireland executive’s attack on the “arbitrary and unreasonable” decision to suspend Mr Williamson again after the disciplinary process had been followed.

This “failed to adhere to Labour Party rules and procedures,” it charged.

In a detailed statement the executive considered allegations that Labour has a problem with anti-semitism and examined Mr Williamson’s remarks in Sheffield that led to the original suspension — when he said that Labour had “done more to address the scourge of anti-semitism than any other party.”

A heavily edited version of his speech was posted by the Yorkshire Post under a headline saying he had claimed Labour was “too apologetic over anti-semitism,” although he never said this phrase.

The Morning Star has seen screengrabs showing that the journalist who posted the video said it was edited because she couldn’t tweet long videos but offered to retweet the whole if it was tweeted at her.

But when a link to Sheffield Momentum’s Facebook page containing the whole speech was sent to her she replied: “I can’t [retweet] that.”

The party’s Northern Ireland executive said that members accused of wrongdoing should be “entitled to [be] considered innocent until it is established otherwise” and should be “entitled to be subject to the democratically determined rules and procedures governing the party … and not be subject to the arbitrariness of public opinion and pressure.”

Mr Williamson told the Morning Star that he had been “inundated” with messages of support from ordinary members.

Former Aslef president Tosh McDonald and socialist comedian Francesca Martinez have also spoken out in his defence against a media backdrop that portrays the MP, who has a decades-long history of anti-fascist work, including in the Anti-Nazi League, as a racist.

Suspicion that the real cause of some MPs’ determination to expel Mr Williamson is his campaigning to democratise the Labour Party, including reforms to the selection process for MPs, has grown after indications that some see it as “payback” for his Democracy Roadshow national tour.

Chester MP Chris Matheson told Cheshire Live that Mr Williamson should “spend less time trying to get Labour MPs deselected and consider his own position” while Bassetlaw MP John Mann told Sky News that “he’s been going round the country with his roadshow trying to deselect people and most Labour MPs are aghast.”

Results of a LabourList poll on Mr Williamson published today showed 61 per cent of respondents favoured readmitting him to the party while 74 per cent felt Labour should adopt an independent complaints process.