A senior Labour politician in the United Kingdom sang “Hey Jews” to the tune of the Beatles song “Hey Jude” during a bus trip last year, according to multiple reports.
Dan Carden, an ally of Jeremy Corbyn and shadow international development secretary, sang the altered lyrics, and Conor McGinn, a former Labour whip, repeatedly called a colleague a “poof” while traveling via bus from Cheltenham races back to London in March of 2018. Buzzfeed News reporter Alex Wickham was seated behind the pair at the time and claims to have witnessed the incident.
According to him, Carden, 33, sang the chorus of the song multiple times, loudly chanting “Jews, Jews, Jews” each time the song reached the word “Jude.” The rendition took place just days after the Labour Party was forced to suspend several members for posting anti-Semitic remarks online.
When approached by the outlet, Carden’s spokesperson did not explicitly deny the incident but said the shadow minister would never “intentionally” engage in “homophobic, racist or anti-Semitic” behavior. McGinn’s spokesperson similarly did not deny that he used the slur “poof” and instead pointed to his record as a “staunch supporter of the LGBT community.”
On Sunday, however, the Sunday Times obtained WhatsApp messages that appear to corroborate Buzzfeed’s reporting. The messages, according to the publication, detail Carden drunkenly singing “nasty” and “anti semitic and homophobic” songs. They also allege that he at one point sang, “We hate the gays,” as well. The messages were dated March 15, 2018, the same day on which the bus ride occurred.
In response, Labour Party leader Corbyn vowed to investigate the matter, saying, “It is an awful story and if it’s true it is utterly unacceptable.”
Carden, however, has been adamant in denying the claims amid his reelection efforts as MP for Liverpool Walton.
“I have been categorical in my denial about allegations relating to a coach trip some 20 months ago,” he said.
