Shami Chakrabarti makes Lords debut under cloud of controversy over anti-semitism ‘whitewash’ probe

NEW Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti took her seat on the House of Lords under a cloud controversy last night.

The campaigner was offered a peerage by Jeremy Corbyn after overseeing a much criticised report into anti-semtism in the Labour Party.

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The former head of civil liberties group Liberty has insisted there was “nothing remotely transactional” about the reward.

She will take the name Baroness Chakrabarti of Kennington and will sit on the Labour benches, last night swearing the oath of allegiance to the Queen.

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Lady Chakrabarti has been dogged with questions over her independence during her investigation into anti-Jewish abuse after she revealed she had joined the Labour Party and supported hapless leader Jeremy Corbyn.

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Senior Labour figures as well as prominent Jewish figures criticised Mr Corbyn’s decision to nominate

Ms Chakrabarti to the House of Lords just a month after her inquiry reported back.

Last week she defended her inquiry saying: “I knew antisemitism on the left and in the Labour Party was a problem.

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She added: “And that is why I said yes to do the inquiry in the first place and I would do it again.”

Lady Chakrabarti said claims of a whitewash were insulting and told Labour MPs she came under “no pressure or undue influence”.