Sir Keir Starmer has barred Jeremy Corbyn from standing for Labour at the next election and told his followers to quit the party if they don’t like the direction he is taking it in.
In a speech on Wednesday, he insisted the fight to root out antisemitism was not over and there was “no space for anyone” who denied it was a problem.
He vowed that Labour will “never again be a party captured by narrow interests” and told critics of his leadership: “The door is open and you can leave.”
The remarks came as the equalities watchdog announced it has wrapped up a three-and-a-half-year investigation into anti-Jewish hate within the ranks.
Sir Keir said the decision showed the party was on the road to recovery but insisted there was more work to be done to truly win back the trust of the public.
He said there was no chance that Mr Corbyn, who was stripped as the whip in October 2020 but remains a party member, would stand as a Labour candidate.
'From a party of dogma to a party of patriotism'
"What I said about the party changing I meant and we are not going back,” he said.
In a direct challenge to followers of the former leader he also insisted that anybody who opposed the change of direction under his stewardship should leave.
“We have changed from a party that looked inwards to a party that meets the public gaze. From a party of dogma to a party of patriotism,” he said.
“From a party of protest to a party of public service. Change is never easy and I understand that some people won’t like the changes we’ve made.
“But I say this with all candour - The Labour Party is unrecognisable from 2019 and it will never go back.
“It will never again be a party captured by narrow interests. It will never again lose sight of its purpose or its morals. And it will never again be brought to its knees by racism or bigotry.
“If you don’t like that, if you don’t like the changes we have made, I say the door is open and you can leave.”
'Unequivocal solidarity to Jeremy Corbyn'
The remarks risk prompting a showdown with the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs on the Left who still support Mr Corbyn’s leadership.
Claudia Webbe, a former Labour MP who also now sits as an independent, responded to them by tweeting: “Unequivocal solidarity to Jeremy Corbyn. Today, and always.”
Matt Zarb-Cousin, a former spokesman for My Corbyn, said the comments showed the Left was “not welcome” in Labour and urged Socialists to vote for the Green Party.
“Starmer’s language towards the left is abusive and unnecessary. He has a 20 point lead, and he’s attacking thousands of his own activists,” he said.
But Sir Keir has attracted strong support from elsewhere within the party over his strong stance, which has seen Labour become strong favourites to win the next election.
One Labour insider told The Telegraph: “I think for Keir this is personal – his wife is Jewish – but I think as a matter of principle, there was no option other than to get rid of him. There couldn’t be a whataboutery or a softness on this issue.
“I can imagine there’ll be elements on the Left that now have to make their minds up which way they go – whether they stick with him or stick with the Labour Party.
“It’s been a very tiring process, but one they can be proud of having implemented.”
'Absolutely no place for anti-Semites'
A senior Jewish activist in the party said they felt “joy at the pace of the progress we’ve made” on the issue.
“It’s really symbolic of the fact that not just antisemites, but also their apologists or enablers, have absolutely no place in this party.”
They said that in hindsight they were “glad” Sir Keir had been part of Mr Corbyn’s shadow cabinet: “Where we’ve ended up with Keir has shown the merit of that approach. It wouldn’t have been possible without that level of engagement.”
The Equality and Human Rights Commission launched its investigation of Labour in May 2019 after complaints that Jewish members had been discriminated against, harassed and victimised.
In October the next year, it served the party with a legal notice and gave the party two years to clean its act, with the threat of court action if it failed.
The watchdog ended its special measures monitoring on Wednesday, saying it had taken the right steps to tackle discrimination.
'Zero tolerance'
Sir Keir said the announcement was a moment for “reflection” rather than celebration and vowed to continue a policy of “zero tolerance of anti-Semitism”.
He acknowledged that more work needs to be done to stamp out anti-Jewish hate, insisting the decision was not “the end of the road”.
Marie van der Zyl, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “The lifting of these special measures must not be construed as implying that the problems within Labour are over.
“We still see issues with antisemitism, particularly among the grassroots. And there are still Labour MPs and councillors who openly denied or downplayed antisemitism in the Party, because of political expediency.
“They know who they are – and we will not forget them in a hurry.”
