John McDonnell today blasted ex-Labour MP Ian Austin for 'working for the Tories' over an attack on Jeremy Corbyn .
The Shadow Chancellor issued the hardline rebuke to the resigning MP - who became an independent earlier this year - after he said Mr Corbyn was unfit to lead the country and urged voters to back the Conservatives.
Mr McDonnell told an audience in Liverpool: "He's now employed by the Tories: what else do you expect him to do in an election campaign?
"Where you're employed by the Tories, you speak on behalf of the Tories. That's what this was about this morning."
Mr McDonnell said there were only a "tiny number" of members - a tenth of one per cent - accused of anti-Semitism.
He added: "How dare the Tories raise the issue of racism at all when they have a leader who has consistently in his journalistic career written statements which are racist in themselves?"
But he did say: "One anti-Semite is too many within our movement. That’s why we’ve done everything we can."
Ian Austin left Mr Corbyn's party in February in response to what he claimed was a "culture of extremism, anti-Semitism and intolerance".
The former Labour minister, who is a longtime critic of Mr Corbyn, today suggested "decent traditional patriotic Labour voters" should vote Tory.
Yet sources confirmed Mr McDonnell's reference to Mr Austin being employed by the Tories was a reference to him being made a trade envoy to Israel by Theresa May in July.
Mr McDonnell did not mention that Labour politicians have also been made trade envoys by Tory governments, including Rushanara Ali who remains an envoy to Bangladesh.
Mr Austin also said this morning that he had not been offered a role by the Tories.
Mr Austin, a former press secretary to Gordon Brown, told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I'm not a Tory but I wouldn't say Boris Johnson is unfit to be our prime minister in the way that I say that about Jeremy Corbyn."
Asked if he was advocating for the electorate to vote for Mr Johnson over Mr Corbyn on December 12, Mr Austin said: "I am."
Mr Austin, who was an MP for Dudley, added: "Look, the public has to make this choice. The British people have to decide this.
"Lots of traditional Labour voters are going to be grappling with this question.
"If they have got to face up to that, then I don't think people like me should have the luxury of running away from it.
"What Jeremy Corbyn has done to the Labour Party, I don't want him to be able to do that to the country."
Addressing criticisms of failing to tackle anti-Semitism made by ex-MP Ian Austin and the Jewish Chronicle newspaper, Labour said the party had made "absolutely clear anti-Semitism has no place" in its ranks.
"Jeremy Corbyn is a lifelong campaigner against anti-Semitism and other forms of racism, hatred and bigotry," said a party spokesman.
"He has made it absolutely clear that anti-Semitism has no place in our party and society, and that no one who engages in it does so in his name.
"The Labour Party is fully committed to the support, defence and celebration of the Jewish community."
