A leading ally of British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the party’s general secretary, Jennie Formby, has been accused by Labour MPs of protecting members of the party accused of anti-Semitism from punishment, The Jewish Chronicle reported Thursday.

Formby has been on the party’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) for seven years. She was strongly backed by Corbyn in her bid for general secretary, and her appointment cemented the leader’s control of the most senior posts in the party.

Concerned Labour MPs laid down an 11-point motion on Monday, questioning Formby’s methods in tackling the allegations of anti-Semitism that have skyrocketed under Corbyn’s leadership. Three Labour MPs told the Chronicle that they suspect Formby of using her influence to protect members accused of anti-Jewish hate from appearing before a disciplinary panel for investigation.

A senior Labour figure highlighted to the Chronicle a recent decision by the party to reject a complaint made by the prospective parliamentary candidate for Chipping Barnet, Emma Whysall, who was called a “stooge for the Zionist Israeli government” by a fellow Labour member. Whysall had come under fire because the Jewish Labour Movement had endorsed her candidacy.

The criticism of Formby comes on the heels of the decision to readmit ex-MP Jim Sheridan, who was suspended last year for writing on Facebook that he no longer had “respect and empathy” for British Jews because they were working to undermine Corbyn’s leadership, into the party.

In an interview with i24news on International Holocaust Memorial Day, a former archbishop of Canterbury blasted the “deplorable” rise of anti-Semitism in Britain in recent years, specifically in the Labour Party.

“The weakness of his statements can give the impression that he is, deep down, someone who doesn’t like Jewish people,” Lord George Carey said of Corbyn. “I hope he might say that’s not the case. But I fear he’s not giving clear leadership to his own party in condemning, from within his own ranks, people who speak out against Jewish people.”

Earlier this week, the Chronicle reported that Corbyn had been warned by Labour MPs that his failure to address high-profile cases of anti-Semitism left Labour open to criticisms that it was “institutionally antisemitic.”

[Photo: Labour Party / YouTube ]