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The McCarthyism in Labour must end
The suspension of Chris Williamson is another example of how witch-hunting is plaguing the Labour Party, says BERNADETTE HORTON
MP for Derby North Chris Williamson

I’M scared. Frightened. Afraid. I’m afraid to be a member of the Labour Party. The words staring up at me make my brain think they shouldn’t really be there. Scared? Frightened to be a member of the Labour Party? How have we come to this?

For months I have hardly spoken out on Twitter, refrained from straying into contentious issues on Facebook and when Chris Williamson was the latest casualty for party suspension, I realised Labour has become a by-word for witch-hunts. It never used to be like this.

I think back to 2016 when it all started. Corbyn-supporting members were “outed” across social media by the then general secretary Iain McNicol and his team, in what appeared to be an exercise in reducing the number of Corbyn supporters eligible to vote for him in the second leadership election. 

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