Lord Nazir Ahmed resigns from Labour Party
Britain's House of Lords member Lord Nazir Ahmed has resigned from Labour Party.
LONDON (AP) - A member of Britain s House of Lords quit the Labour Party on Monday, two days before he was due to face a hearing over allegations he made anti-Semitic remarks in a television interview.
Nazir Ahmed was suspended from the Labour Party in March following a report that he blamed a Jewish conspiracy for his 2009 prison sentence for dangerous driving.
Ahmed had insisted he did not recall making the alleged comments to an Urdu-language broadcaster in Pakistan, but was due to appear before Labour s National Executive Committee on Wednesday about the accusations.
His lawyer Stephen Smith said he did not think Ahmed would have received a fair trial from the Labour panel, and the party confirmed Monday that Ahmed had resigned. He remains a member of the House of Lords.
The alleged remarks came to light when the Times of London said it had obtained footage of an Urdu-language TV interview where Ahmed blamed his 12-week prison sentence on pressure put on courts by Jewish-owned media organization.
The controversy came a year after Ahmed was suspended from the Labour Party amid reports he offered a bounty for the capture of President Barack Obama comments he denied.
