Labour suspends Jeremy Corbyn over reaction to anti-Semitism report

uk reaction

Labour has suspended Jeremy Corbyn from the party over his reaction to a highly critical report on anti-Semitism. The human rights watchdog found Labour responsible for “unlawful” harassment and discrimination during Mr Corbyn’s years in charge of the party. But Mr Corbyn later said the scale of anti-Semitism within Labour had been “dramatically overstated” by opponents. A Labour spokesman said he was being suspended “for a failure to retract” his words. Mr Corbyn reacted by calling the move “political” and promised to “strongly contest” it. The suspension will remain in place while the party carries out an investigation into his remarks.

Sir Keir, who became Labour leader in April, said the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) report had brought “a day of shame” for the party. The report found Labour responsible for three breaches of the Equality Act:

  • Political interference in anti-Semitism complaints
  • Failure to provide adequate training to those handling anti-Semitism complaints
  • Harassment, including the use of anti-Semitic tropes and suggesting that complaints of anti-Semitism were fake or smears

The EHRC found evidence of 23 instances of “inappropriate involvement” by Mr Corbyn’s office, included staff influencing decisions on suspensions or whether to investigate a claim.(BBC)…[+]