Jeremy Corbyn: Labour readmits ex-leader after anti-Semitism row - BBC News

Reuters

Labour has readmitted former leader Jeremy Corbyn following his suspension last month, the BBC understands.

His membership was suspended last month after said the scale of anti-Semitism in the party had been "overstated", in response to a damning report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.

Leader Sir Keir Starmer said there was no place in Labour for those who said the issue had been "exaggerated".

Mr Corbyn issued a statement earlier on Tuesday clarifying his position.

The former leader, who is still an MP despite his suspension from the party, said it was "not his intention" to say anti-Jewish racism should be tolerated, and he "regrets the pain this issue has caused the Jewish community".

• Why was Jeremy Corbyn suspended from Labour?

His statement added: "To be clear, concerns about anti-Semitism are neither 'exaggerated' nor 'overstated'.

"The point I wished to make was that the vast majority of Labour Party members were and remain committed anti-racists deeply opposed to anti-Semitism."

It is not yet clear whether Mr Corbyn will face further sanctions from the party, following a meeting of Labour's ruling body.

'Failure to retract'

The decision to suspend him was taken by the party's general secretary David Evans, although Sir Keir endorsed it.

It followed the publication of a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which found Labour had breached the Equalities Act over its handling of complaints of anti-Semitism during Mr Corbyn's time in charge.

The ex-leader reacted by saying that his opponents had "dramatically overstated" the scale of anti-Semitism within the party for political reasons.

A Labour spokesman said Mr Corbyn had been suspended "for a failure to retract" his words.

But a panel made up of members of the party's National Executive Committee met on Tuesday to decide whether to take further disciplinary action or to lift the suspension.

Ahead of the meeting, Mr Corbyn - who has been a Labour member for 54 years - published a statement on Facebook saying concerns over anti-Semitism within Labour are "neither exaggerated nor overstated".

The party has yet to make a formal announcement about Mr Corbyn's reinstatement following the meeting.

But in a statement, the Islington North MP said: "I'm grateful to the many thousands of Labour Party members, trade unionists and supporters in Britain and around the world, who have offered their solidarity.

"I hope this matter is resolved as quickly as possible, so that the party can work together to root out anti-Semitism and unite to oppose and defeat this deeply damaging Conservative government."

'Zero tolerance'

But the Jewish Labour Movement called the decision to reinstate Mr Corbyn "extraordinary", adding: "After his failure of leadership to tackle anti-Semitism, so clearly set out in the EHRC's report, any reasonable and fair-minded observer would see Jeremy Corbyn's statement today as insincere and wholly inadequate."

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: "What message does this send? Zero tolerance either means zero tolerance or it's meaningless."

After the EHRC report was published Sir Keir, who replaced Mr Corbyn as Labour leader in April, said it had brought "a day of shame" for the party.

He added that those who thought anti-Semitism within Labour was "exaggerated, or a factional attack" were "part of the problem too" and should be "nowhere near the Labour Party".

The co-chairman of the Conservative Party, MP Amanda Milling, has written to Sir Keir, saying: "You have claimed that Labour is 'under new leadership', but now is the moment to prove it - Mr Corbyn should be expelled permanently."

However, Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite union and a close ally of Mr Corbyn, called the reinstatement a "correct, fair and unifying decision".

He said Labour had to "move forward" in implementing the EHRC's recommendations and "redouble our efforts to inspire voters" about Sir Keir's policies, acting as a "unified and strong" party.

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2020-11-17 20:14:00Z
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