JEREMY Corbyn has sought to clarify statements made about ant-Semitism which saw him suspended from the Labour party.
The former leader had the whip withdrawn and is under investigation after he said claims about the scale of anti-Semitism within his party were exaggerated.
He has now said he has provided a statement party investigators in an effort to "clear up confusion" over his original remarks, which came following the publication of a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
The EHRC's damning report concluding that the leader of the opposition's office unlawfully meddled with complaints about anti-Jewish racism, and said the party could have more effectively handled complaints if the leader had been willing to do so.
Earlier this month Mr Corbyn claimed that while “one anti-Semite is one too many” 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”.
Mr Corbyn has now published the statement he sent to Labour, ahead of a meeting of the party’s disputes committee, which states: “We must never tolerate anti-Semitism or belittle concerns about it.
“And that was not my intention in anything I said this week. I regret the pain this issue has caused the Jewish community and would wish to do nothing that would exacerbate or prolong it.
“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.”
MPs and activists loyal to Mr Corbyn have campaigned for him to be reinstated and the former leader thanked them for their support.
“I’m grateful to the many thousands of Labour party members, trade unionists, and supporters in Britain and around the world, who have offered their solidarity,” he said.
“I hope this matter is resolved as quickly as possible, so that the party can work together to root out antisemitism and unite to oppose and defeat this deeply damaging Conservative government.”
Board of Deputies of British Jews president Marie van der Zyl called on the Labour Party to reject Mr Corbyn’s “pathetic non-apology”.
She said: “If the party wants to show it is serious about tackling anti-Jewish racism, it will consign this statement, just like the culture which led to the EHRC’s damning findings, to the dustbin of history.
“To do otherwise would be a failure of leadership which would risk the party slipping backwards.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism chief executive Gideon Falter said: “Mr Corbyn’s statement today seeks to recast his comments gaslighting the Jewish community when the EHRC’s report into Labour anti-Semitism was released.
“This is a desperate attempt to have his suspension lifted and reveals that he still believes that suspensions are something that happen on the whim of the leader as it did during his tenure, and not as a result of any due process.”
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