Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been suspended 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.
Labour 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.
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 - The investigation 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.
Sir Keir promised to implement the report’s recommendations “as soon as possible in the New Year” and to change Labour’s culture.
Responding to the EHRC’s findings, Mr Corbyn said he was “always determined to eliminate all forms of racism” and “regretted it took longer to deliver… change than it should”.
But he claimed his team had “acted to speed up, not hinder the process”, and that the scale of anti-Semitism in the party had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons”.
This is a huge moment for Labour under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.
If there were lingering doubts about whether this is a party under new management, with a new direction, there aren’t now.
Suspending his predecessor shows he is determined to do whatever it takes to close the door on the issue of anti-Semitism within Labour and break from the past.
It will appear ruthless to some, decisive to others – and certainly provocative to Jeremy Corbyn’s allies.
By doing this, Sir Keir can follow through on his “zero-tolerance” promise on anti-Semitism while putting clear water between him and the man in whose shadow cabinet he served before himself becoming leader.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer suspended Jeremy Corbyn from the party over his reaction to a highly critical report on anti-Semitism.
