Shami Chakrabarti ducks quiz on Lords seat offer with doubts raised over the credibility of her probe into race hate in Labour
Campaigner chaired Labour's probe into anti-semitism and has not responded to quiz about when she was offered peerage
SHAMI Chakrabarti has been blasted by MPs for ducking questions about when she was offered a seat in the Lords.
They accused the Labour peer of not being straight and cast doubt on the credibility of her probe into race hate in the party.
Her silence has undermined her role and made Labour’s bid to clean up its act “ineffective”, a Commons committee said.
She took a peerage weeks after a “whitewash” inquiry for Jeremy Corbyn that denied widespread anti-semitism.
The home affairs committee has tried several times to find out when she was offered the honour, says a secret report on the rise of anti- semitism that has been seen by The Sun on Sunday.
It says: “Ms Chakrabarti has not been sufficiently open with the committee about when she was offered her peerage, despite several attempts to clarify it.”
MPs concluded that it was of equal concern that Mr Corbyn did not consider the “damaging impression” likely to be created.
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The probe was branded a whitewash for not criticising Mr Corbyn’s failure to tackle members with anti-Jewish views or his description of Hamas and Hezbollah as his “friends”.
Lady Chakrabarti said claims of a whitewash were insulting and told MPs she came under “no pressure or undue influence”.
She was not available for comment.
Timeline of peerage row
APRIl 29: Chakrabarti commissioned to chair 'race hate' inquiry, on same day she joins Labour party
JUNE 30: Her report finds Labour 'not overrun with anti-Semitism'
AUGUST 4: It emerges Chakrabarti has been nominated for a peerage by Corbyn
UNKNOWN: When idea was peerage was first raised and when it was offered