Britain’s opposition Labour party has suspended its former leader Jeremy Corbyn after he downplayed a report that detailed serious failings in the party’s handling of anti-Semitism complaints under his leadership.
Corbyn’s successor, Keir Starmer, said Labour was facing a “day of shame” after the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report on how the party had dealt with allegations of anti-Semitism within its ranks.
Corbyn’s tenure was marred by persistent complaints of anti-Semitism in the party and criticism of the leader’s response.
The report and Corbyn’s response gave Starmer the opportunity to make a clear break on the issue.
Corbyn, 71, was suspended after saying he did not accept all the report’s findings, that his attempts at reforming complaints processes had been stalled by “obstructive party bureaucracy” and that the scale of the problem had been overstated for political reasons.
“In light of his comments made today and his failure to retract them subsequently, the Labour Party has suspended Jeremy Corbyn pending investigation,” Labour said in a statement.
The party added it had removed the Labour whip from Corbyn, meaning that the former leader will no longer be able to take part in House of Commons votes as a Labour MP.
Starmer said he accepted the EHRC’s report “in full” and would implement all its recommendations.
Read the article by Alistair Smout in The Canberra Times.