Peer Quits Party

The 55-year-old was due to appear before Labour’s National Executive committee today to answer accusations he blamed Jewish conspiracy for his conviction for dangerous driving.

Lord Ahmed said he did not recall making the comments and believed the panel would not give him a fair hearing. He was suspended by the Labour Party after the claims came to light.

He said in his resignation letter, which was published by an online politics blog, that it was “quite plain” that the party had “not made any independent inquiry” about the alleged evidence against him before suspending him.

Lord Ahmed: “ All I want is any evidence in front of me so I can look at it and defend myself. I can’t defend myself if there is no evidence produced.”

The Muslim peer was sentenced to 12 weeks in jail in 2009 for dangerous driving after he admitted sending text messages just moments before his car was involved in an accident on the M1 on Christmas Day 2007 in which a man died.

Lord Ahmed allegedly told an Urdu-language broadcaster in Pakistan that the judge who sentenced him had been appointed after helping a “Jewish colleague” of Tony Blair.

He is also allegedly to have said his case “became more critical because I went to Gaza to support Palestinians,” adding: “My Jewish friends who own newspapers and TV channels opposed this.”

Lord Ahmed said the Times newspaper, which printed a story about his alleged comments, had refused to hand over a copy of the video of his interview.

Lord Ahmed, who apologised for for any offence caused to the Jewish community, said he believed a decision may have already been made against him by the Labour Party and added: “I seem to have no alternative but to resign.”

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