Clacton Labour candidate Gideon Bull drops out over ‘Shylock’ row

A Labour candidate has dropped out over an accusation that he called a Jewish councillor “Shylock”, the evil Jewish moneylender in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice

Gideon Bull, who was announced as the party’s candidate in Clacton in Essex, denies directing the term towards Zena Brabazon during a private meeting at Haringey Council in the summer.

After quitting the race, Mr Bull admitted using the term, but insisted that he was referring to “a housing decision being called in by backbenchers”.

He told BBC Essex: “The allegation that I called a Jewish Cabinet member Shylock is entirely false. I was not referring to the councillor, who was not part of the call in.