The Labor Party constituency in the Clapham area of South London has strongly denounced the alleged remarks of its Member of Parliament impugning the loyalty of her Jewish fellow-members. A statement published by the local constituency in the Clapham Advertiser and News, an independent weekly, said the reported remarks of Mrs. Margaret McKay were “quite disgraceful” and in no way represented her constituency’s views.
Mrs. McKay created a storm in the House of Commons a week ago when news service reports quoted her as telling an off-the-record meeting in New York that pressure exerted by Jewish Labor MPs on Prime Minister Harold Wilson prevented Britain from taking anything but a pro-Israel stand in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Mrs. McKay, who was winding up a speaking tour of the U.S., reportedly said there were 62 Jewish members in the Labor Party’s parliamentary delegation who were all “150 percent Zionist.” She was quoted as having asked rhetorically, “do they represent Israel or Britain?” On her return to Britain, Mrs. McKay, who has belonged to the Labor Party since 1928, denied that she had questioned the loyalty of Jewish MPs and charged that she was quoted out of context. But persons present at the meeting she addressed confirmed that her remarks were substantially as reported.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
