THE former Labour MP Jim Sheridan has been urged to resign from his position as a local councillor in Renfrewshire, after he said attacks on Jeremy Corbyn over anti-Semitism had dulled his “empathy” for the Jewish people and their suffering.

In a Facebook post, Sheridan, who served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary in Tony Blair’s government, said the anti-Semitism row that has engulfed his party, was a result of the Jewish community colluding with “Blairite plotters”.

He was suspended by the party, but the comments seem likely to overshadow this week’s four day tour of Scotland by Corbyn.

Sheridan, who was MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North until 2015, wrote on Facebook: “For all my adult life I have had the utmost respect and empathy for the Jewish community and their historic suffering. No longer, due to what they and their Blairite plotters are doing to my party and the long-suffering people of Britain who need a radical Labour government.”

Renfrewshire North and West Labour Party said it “welcomed the suspension of Jim Sheridan from the Labour Party.

“The views expressed by Jim Sheridan in no way reflect the views of the members of the Labour Party in the… constituency.

“There is absolutely no place in the Labour Party for anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is an evil which must be called out and challenged, whenever and wherever it appears. It is imperative that our party – the Labour Party – is a welcoming home to all members, of all communities.”

But the SNP leader of Renfrewshire Council, Iain Nicolson, said it was time for the councillor for Houston, Crosslee and Linwood to stand down: “I welcome the Labour party’s swift action on this and would urge councillor Sheridan to resign from the council. I fail to see he can fulfil his oath to represent all his constituents regardless of their religious and political beliefs,” Nicolson said.

He added: “Sheridan’s thinking clearly belongs in the dark ages”

A new poll for the Observer revealed that Labour’s anti-Semitism row was hurting their prospects with voters, with 36% believing Labour held, or probably held, an anti-Jewish prejudice.

The Opinium poll also found that 34% think Labour tolerates anti-Semitism, while 33% think Corbyn is anti-Semitic – something he vehemently denies.

Corbyn is in Falkirk today, at bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis as part of his “build it for Britain campaign”.

Speaking ahead of the visit he said: “The Tories have overseen the decline of our industries and farmed out major public contracts overseas which could have supported jobs at home.

“Meanwhile the SNP government has not done nearly enough to grow Scotland’s industrial base or the green economy.

He added: “A lack of support for manufacturing is sucking the dynamism out of our economy, pay from the pockets of workers and any hope of secure well paid jobs from a generation of our young people.”

The SNP’s Ian Blackford said Corbyn’s claims couldn’t be taken seriously as long as he supported “a jobs-destroying Tory hard Brexit”.

He added: “It is a total betrayal of working people, who have already been hit in the pocket by Brexit as prices rise, and it would be catastrophic for Scottish businesses and economic growth – leaving the whole country poorer and worse off.”

Corbyn was last week forced to explain his presence at a 2014 gathering, where a wreath was laid at graves of figures connected to the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, in which 11 Israeli athletes were killed.