Former British Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn announced on Tuesday (November 17th) that he had been reinstated in the opposition party, from which he had been suspended following an explosive report on anti-Semitism in its ranks.

"I am delighted to have been reinstated in the Labor Party," Jeremy Corbyn said on Twitter, calling on the party to "come together now to oppose and defeat the deeply harmful Conservative government".

I am pleased to have been reinstated in the Labor Party and would like to thank party members, trade unionists and all who have offered solidarity.



Our movement must now come together to oppose and defeat this deeply damaging Conservative government.

- Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) November 17, 2020

Shaken for years by repeated incidents and a host of resignations, Labor has been the subject of an investigation by an independent body, which concluded at the end of October in "inexcusable" failures resulting from "a lack of willingness to tackle anti-Semitism ".

Decision overturned

The far-left Jeremy Corbyn, 71, had been suspended for questioning some of these conclusions, notably accusing internal critics and the media of exaggerating the anti-Semitism existing under his leadership (from 2015 to 2020).

This decision was overturned by the Disputes Committee of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Labor, the party's governing body.  

Criticized by Jewish Labor officials, this reinstatement was also badly received by the new party boss, Keir Starmer.

"I know it was another painful day for the Jewish community and those members of Labor who fought so hard against anti-Semitism," he responded on Twitter.

Jeremy Corbyn's response to the report, previously described by Keir Starmer as a "day of shame" for Labor, was "bad", he added.

I know that this has been another painful day for the Jewish community and those Labor members who have fought so hard to tackle antisemitism.



I know the hurt that has been caused and the trauma people have felt.

- Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 17, 2020

Keir Starmer reiterated his commitment to making the party "a safe place for Jews" and called for the establishment of an "independent complaints procedure as soon as possible" next year.

Prior to the NEC meeting, Jeremy Corbyn issued a statement clarifying his remarks, assuring that "concerns about anti-Semitism are not 'exaggerated'."

"What I wanted to say is that the vast majority of Labor members were and remain committed anti-racists, deeply opposed to anti-Semitism," he added, saying he regretted "the harm caused by this problem to the Jewish community ".

"The Jewish community continues to be ignored"

The "Labor Against Anti-Semitism" group lamented in a statement that "the Jewish community continues to be ignored".

"The disciplinary proceedings of the Labor Party appear once again to be subject to political interference, obviously without accountability or transparency," denounced its spokesperson, Fiona Sharpe.

After having suspended his predecessor, Keir Starmer had refuted wanting to "purge" the opposition formation and threaten it with a "civil war", while Jeremy Corbyn, who remained MP, has a strong popularity in the militant base.

Keir Starmer took over as party leader in April by pledging to unify it and tackle anti-Semitism.

The Equality and Human Rights Committee (EHRC) investigation blamed Corbyn's team for downplaying or ignoring complaints from Jewish Labor after a deluge of anti-Semitic talk online or in meetings of the party, or even to have sometimes actively interfered in favor of strategic allies.

With AFP

The summary of the week

France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR