Len McCluskey apologises for telling Peter Mandelson to ‘count his gold’

The leader of the Unite trade union was forced to apologise last night for suggesting that a former cabinet minister of Jewish descent should leave politics and “count his gold”.

Len McCluskey, a leading ally of Jeremy Corbyn, risked reigniting Labour’s antisemitism row when he told BBC Newsnight that Lord Mandelson, the former business secretary, should leave the opposition “to those of us that are interested in ordinary working people”.

He had been asked about comments in which Lord Mandelson, one of the architects of New Labour and the campaign for a second Brexit referendum, had praised the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer.

In response, Mr McCluskey said of Lord Mandelson, who is not religiously observant but was born to a Jewish father, said: “Whatever