Miriam Margolyes believes Labour backing the NHS is more important than anti-Semitism.
The actress, who has been a critic of anti-Jewish prejudice in the party and politics more broadly, has said Jeremy Corbyn is a “man of principle”.
She supports the Labour leader over the Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and believes protecting the NHS is more important than Brexit.
Margolyes spoke at the launch of the latest series of BBC show Call The Midwife.
NEWS: Today was the press launch for the #callthemidwife Christmas Special set in the beautiful Scottish Hebrides 🏴❤️ Series writer Heidi Thomas praised its "magnificent setting" – and one critic has already declared it "one of the best"!! 🎄😀🎅 https://t.co/G2hKC7udox pic.twitter.com/C4l6WrsYVm
— Call The Midwife (@CallTheMidwife1) November 13, 2019
She said: “No party is perfect, but Corbyn is a man of principle.
“But Boris Johnson again and again and again has shown that he is not.
“I don’t want the England that Boris Johnson wants, I don’t want that. I want, maybe not the England that Corbyn wants.
“Maybe I am not as doctrinaire as he is, but he is going to protect the NHS and that is the one thing that I hold more important than any other thing, more important than Brexit more than anti-Semitism.”
Margolyes said that anti-Semitism was not limited to the Labour Party, and was evident elsewhere in British politics. She said the Tory party had its own demons, and should look at the issue of Islamophobia.
She added: “I think anti-Semitism is throughout the English political system, I don’t think Labour have a monopoly on anti-Semitism.”
Call The Midwife will return with a Christmas special.