Keir Starmer demands suspended Jeremy Corbyn apologises over damning anti-semitism report

SIR Kier Starmer today demanded Jeremy Corbyn apologises over the damaging anti-semitism Labour report.

The party leader said the former leader should "reflect" on what he said in response to the publication - which saw him suspended.

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On the Andrew Marr show this morning he revealed he hadn't spoken to My Corbyn since Thursday.

He added: "I would ask Jeremy to reflect on what he said on Thursday.

"He should accept the failings, apologise and move forwards.

"I think for most people what they wanted from the Labour Party on Thursday was an honest recognition of the problem and an apology, a line in the sand and a constructive way to move forward, which is what I want for the Labour Party.

"I think it's pretty clear across the Labour movement most people think he is completely in the wrong place on this."

Last week Mr Corbyn was suspended by Labour after his shameless response to a damning report which found the party broke the law over anti-Semitism.

Mr Corbyn refused to apologise after the Equality and Human Rights Commission found the party under the hard left-former leader allowed vile harassment and abuse of Jewish members to thrive.

He claimed: ";The scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media."

'APOLOGISE'

The Labour boss had said he "did not accept all of the report's findings" and, in a video clip, failed to accept he should leave the party.

Just hours later the ex-boss who led the party for more than four years was suspended by Labour.

In a press conference later that morning new leader Sir Keir Starmer said anyone who claimed anti-Semitism was "exaggerated" was a "part of the problem" and had no place in the party.

He later said he had "made it clear we wouldn't tolerate the denial of anti-Semitism through the suggestion that it's exaggerated or factional".

"I was disappointed with Jeremy Corbyn's response and that's why appropriate action has been taken, which I fully support."

Mr Corbyn blamed inheriting a broken complaints system and attacked the party for getting in the way as he tried to overhaul it.

He claimed as leader he was "determined to eliminate all forms of racism" including anti-Semitism - but the ECHR said his team had personally meddled in complaints.

The report also found:

• Jeremy Corbyn's team personally meddled in at least 23 anti-Semitism complaints
• The party broke the law three times and must submit a dossier by December 10 or they could face further action
• Labour had "serious failings" in leadership and its complaints process wasn't up to scratch
• Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone was found guilty of harassment
• At the worst the party "could be seen to accept" anti-Jew hate

The report found there were three separate breaches of the law - for members harassing Jewish members, Mr Corbyn's team stepping in and interfering with complaints of anti-semitic bullying, and the party failing to provide training to deal with those complaints.

Two key members of the Labour party - Ken Livingstone, the former London Mayor, and Pam Bromley, a Labour councillor in Rossendale - were singled out by the report for pushing offensive anti-semitic tropes.

The pair suggested any complaints were "fake or smears".

The Labour party was legally responsible for both Mr Livingstone and Mr Bromley's actions, saying they helped spur on a "hostile environment" for Jewish members, it said.

Mr Livingstone, claimed he expected the report to be "a bit of a con" and that they "whipped up" anti-semitism allegations to topple Mr Corbyn.

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He told The Sun: “This was nothing to do with anti-Semitism – it was about getting rid of Jeremy Corbyn.”

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He added: “Unless the report comes out and says this was a load of nonsense whipped up to undermine the Labour leadership, it won’t really be honest.”

But the two cases were just "the tip of the iceberg" and 18 more borderline cases were found of Labour Party candidates, councillors or party staff being anti-Semitic - but there wasn't enough evidence to blame the party for it.

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