Jeremy Corbyn will not be a Labour candidate in the upcoming general election, according to party leader Sir Keir Starmer.
A dispute over antisemitism led to Mr. Corbyn’s suspension from the Labour Party and his election as an independent.
The former Labour leader hoped to be readmitted so he could run as a Labour candidate again.
Sir Keir, however, stated that the party had changed under his leadership and that “we are not going back.” Adding that anyone who did not support him was free to resign.
Mr. Corbyn has not addressed suggestions that he may run as an independent against Labour in Islington North. As he left his home, he did not comment, and he was not anticipated to answer on Wednesday.
However, former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, one of his longtime associates, stated that he had “no intention of contesting as an independent” and has been a Labour Party member since the age of 16.
Mr. Corbyn called his suspension from the parliamentary party “a really nasty way of treating people” before Sir Keir spoke. There has been no procedure, no discussion, and no appeal.”
Momentum, a left-wing campaign organization established to support him when he was Labour leader, stated. “It is the democratic right of Labour party members in Islington North to choose their candidate.
This Party does not belong to a single individual, but to its members and labor unions.
When asked by reporters if he could “categorically” rule out his predecessor as the party’s leader in the upcoming election, Sir Keir responded in the negative “Let me be crystal clear: Jeremy Corbyn will not run as a Labour party candidate in the upcoming general election.
“I meant what I said about the party changing, and we are not going back. So Jeremy Corbyn will not run as a Labour candidate in the upcoming general election.”
As he spoke, Britain’s equality watchdog announced that Labour has improved its handling of antisemitism allegations.
In 2020, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) determined that Labour, under the leadership of Mr. Corbyn, had engaged in unlawful harassment and discrimination.
However, according to a new report from the watchdog, sufficient changes have been made.
This is surely a momentous occasion.
Despite a stunning loss in the 2019 general election, Jeremy Corbyn led the Labour Party three years ago.
Now, his successor has stated explicitly that Mr. Corbyn will not even be eligible to run as a Labour candidate in the next election – a sign, according to Sir Keir, of how the party has changed under his leadership.
The biggest question is whether Mr. Corbyn will run as an independent in his longtime constituency.
Momentum, his longtime supporter, has not said if it will back him if he runs.
The organization has previously deemed Sir Keir’s decision undemocratic, but if it supported Mr. Corbyn as an independent, it would risk a confrontation with the Labour leader.
Sir Keir stated in east London that this was “a significant milestone in the history of the Labour Party, but not one to be celebrated.” He emphasized that it was “not the end of the road” and pledged “zero tolerance for antisemitism, racism, and all forms of discrimination.
He stated that it was a chance to “apologize once more. To all those who were harmed, all those who were let down, all those who were expelled from our party. Who no longer felt it was their home, and who endured the most heinous abuse: I apologize.
Antisemitism is a heinous act and any political party that fosters it does not deserve power.
Door is open
Labour had said “It is unrecognizable from 2019 and will never return… Sir Keir answered, “If you don’t like it or our changes, you’re free to go.”
Momentum announced in a statement: “We will not permit ourselves to be expelled from the Party. Today, we have witnessed an attempt to discourage and demoralize us.
The door may be open, but we will not be leaving.
Sir Keir suspended Mr. Corbyn as a Labour MP for declaring in his response to the 2020 EHRC report that his opponents and the majority of the media had “dramatically exaggerated” the extent of antisemitism within Labour.
He added that antisemitism was “totally repugnant” and that “one antisemite in the party is one too many.”
He was readmitted to the party after stating that concerns over antisemitism were neither “exaggerated nor exaggerated.” But he is still prohibited from representing Labour in Parliament.
Sir Keir stated in December that he could not “see the circumstances” in which Mr. Corbyn would run for Labour in the upcoming election. This was the first time he has ruled out his predecessor’s return to the parliamentary party.
Mr. Corbyn led the Labour Party to defeat in the 2017 and 2019 national elections. But he remains a popular figure on the party’s far left. Sir Keir was a major member of his shadow cabinet and spoke for the party on Brexit beginning in 2016.
Watchdog-related material
The extremely critical EHRC investigation, issued in October 2020, determined that Labour was guilty of unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination, compelling the party to modify its practices.
The EHRC initiated its investigation in May 2019, during Mr. Corbyn’s tenure, after receiving several antisemitism-related complaints from party members.
It was determined that Labour had violated the Equality Act by failing to provide proper training for personnel processing allegations and by allowing “political intervention” from Mr. Corbyn’s office in the treatment of these complaints.
In December 2020, Labour drew up a proposal to strengthen its complaints procedure after being compelled to do so.
This obligated the party to establish an impartial procedure for resolving complaints, create a manual for personnel handling complaints, and enhance training.
Marcial Boo, chief executive officer of the EHRC, stated that the organization was now “satisfied with the efforts taken” by the party and had concluded a two-year monitoring procedure at the end of January.
Wednesday, Marie van der Zyl, head of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, introduced Sir Keir.
She stated that sharing a stage with a Labour leader “not too long ago… would have been impossible.”
“At the next election, I believe all British Jews will once again be able to vote based on their political beliefs and not out of fear,” she added.
She cautioned, though, that the Labour Party still has “problems with antisemitism, particularly at the grassroots level.”
