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Jeremy Corbyn says he is 'very sorry' for anti-semitism in the Labour Party

2 min read

Jeremy Corbyn has said he is "very sorry" for the way Labour has handled anti-semitism in the party.


The Labour leader's apology came a week after he passed up several opportunities to apologise to the Jewish community while being interviewed by Andrew Neil.

Mr Corbyn was pressed on the matter by Philip Schofield during an appearance on ITV's This Morning.

He said: “Our party and me do not accept anti-semitism in any form, obviously I’m very sorry for everything that’s happened but I want to make this clear, I am dealing with it, I have dealt with it.

“Other parties are also affected by anti-semitism, candidates have been withdrawn by the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives and by us because of it, we just do not accept it in any form whatsoever.”

Asked by Andrew Neil if he wanted to apologise for Labour anti-semitism, Mr Corbyn said: "What I’ll say is this. I am determined that our society will be safe for people of all faiths. I don’t want anyone to be feeling insecure in our society and our government will protect every community."

The row first erupted after Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis branded Mr Corbyn “unfit for high office" and called on Britons to  "vote with their conscience" in the December poll.

Asked about his comments on This Morning, Mr Corbyn said he was "very happy" to meet Mr Mirvis.

Mr Corbyn also stressed that since becoming Labour leader, he had introduced processes to deal with anti-semitism which previously did not exist in the party.

Elsewhere in the interview, Mr Corbyn also said he planned to remain Prime Minister until the next general election, which would be due in 2024, if Labour wins the election.

He said: “I hope so yes because I feel I'm quite fit, I feel quite young enough to do the job and I’m very determined to carry out what we’ve got there.”

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