Labour has been condemned for failing to prevent and stamp out antisemitism within the party after a damning report was released on Thursday.
The report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission ruled that the party broke the law by failing to prevent “acts of harassment and discrimination” and said Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership “did not do enough to prevent antisemitism and, at worst, could be seen to accept it”.
These are the key reactions to the findings of the report:
Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the Labour Party
Mr Corbyn described antisemitism as “absolutely abhorrent, wrong and responsible for some of humanity’s greatest crimes” and defended his time as leader of the Labour Party by saying he campaigned in support of Jewish people and communities.
He said that to claim there was no antisemitism within the party is “wrong”, but added that the issue was made larger “for political reasons”.
“Jewish members of our party and the wider community were right to expect us to deal with it, and I regret that it took longer to deliver that change than it should,” he said in a statement on Facebook.
“One antisemite is one too many, but 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. That combination hurt Jewish people and must never be repeated.
“My sincere hope is that relations with the Jewish communities can be rebuilt and those fears overcome. While I do not accept all of its findings, I trust its recommendations will be swiftly implemented to help move on from this period.”
Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party
“I found this reports hard to read and it is a day of shame for the Labour Party. We have failed Jewish people, our members, our supporters and the British public.
“And so on behalf of the Labour Party: I am truly sorry for all the pain and grief that has been caused.”
Lord John Mann, Independent Adviser to the UK Government on antisemitism
“The moment of greatest shame in the history of the Labour Party. And to think how many said it was all made up and exaggerated. Which amongst them will stand up and say that I am truly sorry?
Dame Margaret Hodge, Labour MP
“This is a truly appalling day for the Labour Party. Under Corbyn’s leadership, Labour committed unlawful acts of harassment and political interference.
“This should never have been allowed to happen and this report must act as a watershed moment.”
Yvette Cooper, Labour MP
“Today’s EHRC findings are damning. It is truly shameful for our party.
“There can be no equivocation. We must change. We must never again let antisemitism corrode the Labour Party’s soul or leave members of the Jewish community to feel the pain and hurt of recent years.”
Luciana Berger, former Labour MP
“The findings of the report today are damning, I don’t think they could have been any worse than what we’ve heard and seen today.
“For the Labour Party found to be guilty of both harassment and discrimination of Jewish party members gives me absolutely no pleasure.”
Priti Patel, Home Secretary
“First of all, it’s quite clear from this report, I haven’t seen the details, but it’s quite clear that antisemitism has absolutely dominated the Labour Party for far too long.”
She said Mr Starmer – “who sat in the same shadow cabinet while all of these antisemitic attacks were taking place – really has to ask himself some hard questions as to why he didn’t speak out and really work now to root antisemitism out of the Labour Party”.
Andrew Adonis, Labour peer
“Jeremy Corbyn should properly resign from Parliament after this report.”
Campaign Against Anti-Semitism
“The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s report is a groundbreaking document. It is the first ever finding by the EHRC of unlawful acts. It heavily criticises the Labour Party’s former leadership.
“It makes clear recommendations to ensure that there is zero tolerance of antisemitism in the party in the future. It provides a robust framework for ensuring that the party complies.
“The EHRC’s report utterly vindicates Britain’s Jews, who were accused of lying and exaggerating, acting as agents of another country and using their religion to ‘smear’ the Labour Party.
“In an unprecedented finding, it concludes that those who made such accusations broke the law and were responsible for illegal discrimination and harassment.”
Jewish Labour Movement
“Today’s report provides Jewish Labour members with the relief that they have been seeking from the Labour Party, but which it failed, over five years, to offer.
“Since 2015, we have consistency warned the Labour party about a deepening casual culture of anti-Jewish racism, that saw Jewish Labour members and activists harassed and discriminated against.
“Instead of listening to our growing concerns over the scale of the challenge, we were told that this racism was imagined, fabricated for factional advantage or intended to silence debate.
“Today’s report confirms that our voices were marginalised and our members victimised.
“As set out in forensic detail by the EHRC, the blame for this sordid, disgraceful chapter in the Labour Party’s history lies firmly with those who held positions of leadership – those who possessed both power and influence to prevent the growth of anti-Jewish racism, but failed to act.”
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
“I have read the report of the Equality and Human Rights Commission with much sadness.
“The fact that an institution which has been so central to the governance of our country for the last century has been found to have fallen to such depths represents a historic nadir for the Labour Party and must prompt us all to ask: Why was this allowed to happen?
“The impact of this report reaches well beyond the issue of antisemitism or the Jewish community, by sending a powerful message that the politics of scapegoating and hatred will never succeed.”
He added that he was “encouraged” by the commitment set out by Mr Starmer to implement the report’s recommendations in full and said the Jewish community will work with him to get rid of antisemitism in the Labour Party.
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust
“After five years of rampant antisemitism in a mainstream political party, this damning report confirms all that has been said about the depth of the endemic anti-Jewish racism in Labour. The hurt and pain that has been caused is unquantifiable and the impact is still felt.
Holocaust denial, conspiracy theories and Jew hate are unacceptable in all walks of life, and certainly nobody expected it to fester in a political party founded on anti-racism, but it did. Today is not the end of this dark chapter, but an opportunity for the Labour Party to consign this shameful period to history, take responsibility and begin the journey back to any sort of morality.
We have seen good people speak out and call out this abhorrent racism over the past few years and we thank them. It is a lesson to us all in not standing by when hatred and prejudice rears its head.”
