Labour’s Croydon Central branch has asked the party’s national HQ to lift the suspension imposed on their secretary for defending Ken Livingstone’s comments about Adolf Hitler.

David White was suspended on Tuesday after taking to Twitter to defend the former London Mayor’s suggestion that the Nazi leader had been a Zionist, comments which Mr White claimed were “largely accurate”.

Mr White, a former Greater London Council member, announced the branch has asked for his suspension to be lifted on Twitter last night, saying he was “delighted” they had rallied behind him.

He said: “Croydon Central Labour EC [executive committee] has unanimously agreed to ask Labour Party HQ to lift my suspension. Delighted with this news.”

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John Stolliday, head of the constitutional unit at the national Labour party, wrote to Mr White to inform him of his suspension on May 4.

The letter read: "In view of the urgency to protect the Party's reputation in the present situation the General Secretary has determined to use powers delegated to him under Clause V111.5 of the constitutional rules of the party to impose this suspension forthwith, subject to the approval of the next meeting of the NEC.

"Because of the nature of the allegations received and concerns that your presence at branch meetings may be detrimental to the party, while subject to this administrative suspension, you cannot attend any party meetings including your own branch meeting and annual conference and you cannot seek office within the party or ve considered for selection as a candidate to represent the Labour party at an election at any level."

Mr Livingstone, a former London Mayor, was suspended from the Labour Party that day for bringing the party into disrepute after party colleagues accused him of anti-Semitism and branded him a “Nazi apologist”.

In a statement following his suspension Mr White, who has been a member of the Labour party for 46 years, said he was “saddened” by the news but would “fight my suspension and work to be reinstated”

He said: “Specifically I commented that Ken was largely factually accurate in referring to an agreement in the 1930s between the German Nazi Party and some Zionists to provide for some Jews to go to what is now Israel (the so-called Haavara agreement).

"Immediately I sent the tweet I realised that it was unwise, whatever the historical facts, to conflate Zionism with Hitler.

"True anti-Semitism is a terrible thing and should be forcefully opposed. I have a long history of opposing anti-Semitism and other forms of racism, as have most people who have been in the Labour Party as long as I have.

He added: “The Labour Party should review its internal procedures. It isn’t right that people should be suspended before they have had any chance to put their case or answer accusations.

"I shall of course fight my suspension and work to be reinstated in the Labour Party.”