An editor has offered a tongue-in-cheek apology after a left-wing national newspaper accused his newspaper of “hypocrisy” following its scoop exposing an MP’s controversial comments on anti-Semitism.

HTFP reported on Wednesday how the Yorkshire Post had exclusively revealed Labour MP Chris Williamson’s claims that his party has been “too apologetic” over anti-Semitism allegations.

The scoop, by the Post’s Westminster correspondent Liz Bates, led to Mr Williamson’s suspension from Labour later the same day.

But left-wing daily the Morning Star has this morning accused the Leeds-based Post of “hypocrisy” on its front page on the grounds that it had run a column by former Tory MP Patrick Mercer a few days earlier.

Five years ago Mr Mercer was found to have committed “one of worst ever” breaches of parliamentary rules by calling a female Israeli security guard a “bloody Jew”, the Commons standards committee ruled.

The Morning Star’s splash reads: “The newspaper that ‘exposed’ Chris Williamson MP for stating that Labour had been ‘too apologetic’ over anti-Semitism allegations published a column just days earlier written by a disgraced Tory politician who once called an Israeli soldier a ‘bloody Jew.’

“The Yorkshire Post regularly publishes posts by Patrick Mercer, who resigned from Parliament five years ago after the Commons sleaze watchdog found he had used ‘racially offensive language’ and accepted cash for questions.

“Despite his scandal-ridden background, the Post has published over a dozen columns by Mr Mercer in the last 12 months. Although there is no suggestion that Mr Mercer has said anything racist or anti-Semitic in those columns, Mr Mercer’s controversial comments about minorities are a matter of public record.”

The story prompted Post editor James Mitchinson to issue a tongue-in-cheek apology on Twitter.

He wrote: “Sorry: I’d like to apologise for being a hypocrite. As the editor of a trusted newspaper, I should know better than to support one of my journalists in exposing racist hatred.

“My double standards have resulted in sunlight pouring on darkness. I’m sorry, darkness. Dawn is upon us.”

James’s post prompted messages of support from other industry figures, Brian Aitken, former editor of Newcastle daily The Journal, describing being attackd by the Morning Star as a “badge of honour.”

Sophie Barley, news editor at The Journal’s Chronicle Live sister website, added: “Read the YP all my life. Landed on my family’s doormat in the morning for decades. And yes a trusting, campaigning paper.

“Please keep supporting your journalists in this way – and also please do keep ridiculing trash headlines like this.”

Mark Thompson, head of audience (North) for YP publisher JPIMedia tweeted: “So the Morning Star thinks that the Yorkshire Post should have simply ignored the story that revealed further racism problems in the Labour Party and led to the suspension of an MP?

“Most people would call that censorship.”