UK’s Labour suspends former leader Jeremy Corbyn after anti-Semitism report

The British Labour Party suspended its former leader Jeremy Corbyn on Thursday after he refused to accept all findings in a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on anti-Semitism within the party.

Corbyn vowed to contest “the political intervention” against him.

“In light of his comments made today and his failure to retract them subsequently, the Labour Party has suspended Jeremy Corbyn pending investigation,” the party said in a statement. It also removed the whip from Corbyn, and he will no longer be able to take part in House of Commons votes as a Labour lawmaker.

Under Corbyn, Labour saw complaints of anti-Semitism within its ranks and the leadership was criticized for their lack of response.

Following the party’s move on Thursday, Corbyn tweeted he “will strongly contest the political intervention” to suspend him. “I’ve made absolutely clear those who deny there has been an antisemitism problem in the Labour Party are wrong.” He also promised to “continue to support a zero tolerance policy towards all forms of racism.”

The EHRC report found Labour responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination over anti-Semitism. In his initial reaction, Corbyn rejected the overall conclusions, saying that the anti-Semitism problem within the party was “dramatically overstated for political reasons.” The politician also said in a Facebook post that he had been obstructed by party officials in trying to tackle the issue, but expressed regret that “it took longer to deliver that change than it should.”

The EHRC’s lead investigator, Alasdair Henderson, said that as the leader of the party, Corbyn “is ultimately accountable and responsible for what happened at that time.”

Keir Starmer, who replaced Corbyn as Labour leader in April, said he accepted the EHRC report “in full” and the party was facing a “day of shame” over the failings revealed.

“Under my leadership, we will have zero tolerance of anti-Semitism,” Starmer added.

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