Keir Starmer has risked a left-wing backlash by refusing to re-admit Jeremy Corbyn as a Labour MP despite a disciplinary panel lifting the suspension of his party membership.
Starmer said in a statement: “Jeremy Corbyn’s actions in response to the EHRC report undermined and set back our work in restoring trust and confidence in the Labour Party’s ability to tackle antisemitism.
“In those circumstances, I have taken the decision not to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn. I will keep this situation under review.”
Corbyn was reinstated as a Labour party member on Tuesday, three weeks after being suspended for questioning the findings of the damning Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report into antisemitism under his leadership.
Following the formal warning Corbyn’s supporters insisted party rules meant that if hs membership was restored he should be automatically be readmitted as an MP.
But while the decision on suspension was one for the party’s ruling national executive committee the decision not to restore the whip to Corbyn was made by the party leader, Starmer, and the chief whip, Nick Brown.
Starmer made it clear his decision was another signal that he was serious about tackling the stain of anti-Semitism from the Corbyn era.
He said: “Since I was elected Labour leader, I have made it my mission to root out anti-Semitism from the Labour Party. I know that I will judged on my actions, not my words.
“The disciplinary process does not have the confidence of the Jewish community. That became clear once again yesterday.
“It is the task of my leadership to fix what I have inherited. That is what I am resolute in doing and I have asked for an independent process to be established as soon as possible.”
Starmer was under pressure from the left to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn, after the former Labour leader had his party membership reinstated by a disciplinary panel yesterday following a 19-day suspension.
But furious MPs like Margaret Hodge threatened to leave Labour and Jewish groups that expressed their outrage at the decision to let Corbyn off with a formal warning.
