London, Nov. 18, (dpa/GNA) – Britain’s opposition Labour party plans to reinstate former leader Jeremy Corbyn following his expulsion last month after he dismissed the results of an inquiry into anti-Semitism in the party.
Corbyn said on Tuesday evening he was “pleased to have been reinstated in the Labour Party” and thanked party members, trade unionists and others who offered solidarity.
“Our movement must now come together to oppose and defeat this deeply damaging Conservative government,” Corbyn wrote on Twitter.
The decision to reinstate Corbyn was made by a meeting of the Disputes Panel of Labour’s National Executive Committee, the Press Association agency reported, citing a source close to the former party leader.
Corbyn was suspended from the party in October after describing the results of an independent investigation into anti-Semitic tendencies in his party as “dramatically overstated.”
The 71-year-old published a statement on his Facebook page ahead of the committee meeting on Tuesday.
“To be clear, concerns about anti-Semitism are neither ‘exaggerated’ nor ‘overstated.’ The point I wished to make was that the vast majority of Labour Party members were and remain committed anti-racists deeply opposed to anti-Semitism,” the statement said.
The report, published at the end of October by the independent Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), was prompted by concerns about anti-Semitism in the Labour party that surfaced in recent years, including under Corbyn’s leadership between 2015-2019.
Current party leader Keir Starmer said Corbyn’s reinstatement marked “another painful day for the Jewish community,” PA reported.
Starmer reportedly said he would “not allow a focus on one individual to prevent us from doing the vital work of tackling anti-Semitism,” while vowing to make the party a safe place for Jewish people.
GNA