CHRIS DAVIES, the leader of the Liberal Democrat MEPs, resigned under pressure last night after attacking the “influence of the Jewish lobby” in politics during an intemperate exchange of e-mails.

Mr Davies, who led the 12 Lib Dem MEPs in Brussels, had been summoned by Sir Menzies Campbell to give an explanation of his remarks to a reader of a Jewish newspaper.

Sir Menzies does not have the authority to dismiss Mr Davies, who was voted leader by Lib Dem MEPs two years ago. But a statement issued on his behalf made clear his anger. Sir Menzies had a preliminary conversation with Mr Davies on Wednesday but planned to do so at greater length to make clear that he regarded such comments as unacceptable.

Sarah Ludford, MEP for London, becomes acting leader of the Lib Dems in Brussels.

Mr Davies’s outburst came in an increasingly aggressive exchange of e-mails with the reader of a Jewish newspaper, who wrote to the MEP objecting to criticisms that he made of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians after visiting the Palestinian Authority with a group of MEPs.

In his original criticism, to which the reader objected, Mr Davies accused Israel of “posing as a victim” while pursuing “racist policies of apartheid”.

A reader of the Jewish News, which published his comments, sent Mr Davies a letter via e-mail accusing him of belittling the humiliation, torture and murder of Jews in the Holocaust and asking why liberals attacked Israel but supported Muslim extremists who were homophobic, misogynistic and intolerant of other religions.

The reader, a woman who asked to remain anonymous, sent a second e-mail calling the MEP a disgrace for not having the decency to reply properly to her letter as an elected representative. Within an hour, Mr Davies e-mailed back that he answered to the electorate, saying: “I shall tell them that I intend to speak out against this oppression at every opportunity, and I shall denounce the influence of the Jewish lobby that seems to have far too great a say over the political decision-making process in many countries.”

Mr Davies issued a partial apology when Zeddy Lawrence, the Editor of Jewish News complained on the reader’s behalf, saying that her e-mail arrived at the same time as a number of other abusive e-mails so that after a while he stopped reading their contents in detail. He offered to apologise if the reader disagreed with the policies of the Israeli Government.

It was only when the newspaper complained to the headquarters of the Lib Dems that Mr Davies issued a full apology on Wednesday and admitted that his language had been wholly unacceptable. Mr Davies refused to speak to The Times yesterday afternoon, referring inquiries to the party’s press office.

Initially a party spokesman said: “The leader of the party will be wishing to speak to Mr Davies at the earliest opportunity about these unacceptable comments.”

By early evening a party source confirmed that he had resigned as leader of the Lib Dem MEPs. Mr Davies had incurred the anger of several fellow MEPs for the harshness of his criticisms of Charles Kennedy in the days before his resignation in January, when he called him a “dead man walking”.

Lib Dem MEPs will now elect a new leader.

Charles Kennedy was forced to sack Jenny Tonge from his frontbench in 2004 after she sympathised with Palestinian suicide bombers.

EXTRACTS FROM THE E-MAILS

From: Jewish News reader
Sent: 21 April 2006 21:59
To: DAVIES Chris
Subject: Lesson of Auschwitz
Mr Davies, it is not Israel that ‘hasn’t learnt from Auschwitz’ — it is YOU — you and the many well-meaning, misguided people, who, for some reason, support people that are homophobic, mysogynistic and intolerant of other religions

From: DAVIES Chris To: Jewish News reader
Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 21:47
Subject: RE: Lesson of Auschwitz
Sounds like racism to me. I hope you enjoy wallowing in your own filth

From: Jewish News reader
Sent: 24 April 2006 15:53
To: DAVIES Chris
Subject: Fw: Lesson of Auschwitz
You are supposed to represent people of the north-west in the UK at the European Parliament - if this is how you do it, you are a disgrace

From: DAVIES Chris
To: Jewish News reader
Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 16:46
Subject: RE: Lesson of Auschwitz
I answer to the electorate collectively. I may never seek election again. If I do . . . I shall tell them that I intend to speak out against this oppression at every opportunity, and I shall denounce the influence of the Jewish lobby that seems to have far too great a say over the political decision-making process in many countries

From: DAVIES Chris
Sent: 28 April 2006 17:25
To: Zeddy Lawrence (Editor, Jewish News)
Subject: RE: Lesson of Auschwitz
Thank you. I recall this now. [THE]private email to me arrived at much the same time as a number of others, variously calling me ‘anti semitic’, ‘scumbag’, ‘Jew hater’, and comparing me with excrement. After a while I stopped reading the contents in detail. [IT] would not have had the response she got from me in a private email had she not been in such bad company — no fault of hers perhaps, but that’s emailing for you

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