SIR Keir Starmer last night hailed a major turning point as Labour were finally given a clean bill of health on anti-semitism.
The Labour boss issued another grovelling apology to thousands of activists and members who were let down and driven out by the party after facing “appalling abuse” under ex-chief Jeremy Corbyn.
Sir Keir Starmer will claim ‘the Labour Party has changed’ after years of allegations of Jew-hate
The party leader will announce today that Labour has cleared the backlog of anti-semitism complaints and overhauled their internal structures for handling them properly.
They have kicked hundreds of people out of the party who campaigned against equalities rules and recommendations to rid the party of hatred.
More than 120 cases have been scrutinized by an internal panel in the last year alone.
It came after the Commission accused the party of being unlawful in 2020 after a damning probe said they were responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination.
Labour was forced to put forward a plan of action to stop political interference in anti-semitism claims, provide training to those handling complaints, and end harassment and anti-semitic tropes.
The party could have faced legal action if they’d failed to comply.
Sir Keir will today claim “the Labour Party has changed” after equalities chiefs gave them the all clear after years of allegations of Jew-hate.
But he warned that the news from the Equality and Human Rights Commission should be a moment of “reflection”, not celebration – and he would continue to push for change.
Sir Keir will say today: “To all those who were hurt, who were let down, who were driven out of our party, who no longer felt it was their home, who suffered the most appalling abuse.
“Today, on behalf of the entire Labour Party, I say sorry.
“What you have been through can never be undone. Apologies alone cannot make it right”.
He added that the “job of restoring Labour is not complete” but is a sign they are “heading in the right direction”.
Labour will enshrine changes to their governing laws in the party’s rule book.
Ex-party boss Mr Corbyn still hasn’t been given the Labour whip back after refusing to apologise or retract his comments where he downplayed the probe – and said anti-semitism allegations had been whipped up by his critics.
Marcial Boo, Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said today after their probe finished: “All organisations, whether they are firms, charities or public bodies, have a duty to protect their members and employees. Britain’s equality laws apply to them all.
“Those organisations in the public eye have a particular responsibility to comply with the law, and to set high standards in tackling discrimination, including all forms of racism.
“On 31 January 2023, we concluded our monitoring as we were satisfied that the Party had implemented the necessary actions to improve its complaints, recruitment, training and other procedures to the legal standards required.
“This will help to protect current and future Labour Party members from discrimination and harassment.
“No organisation is above the law. Every employer and every public body must take active steps to address racism and all other forms of illegal discrimination.”
