The former head of the UK Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn will not be restored as a Labour member of Parliament despite an end to his suspension for undermining efforts to tackle anti-Semitism, the party's current leader Sir Keir Starmer said Wednesday.
Corbyn, 71, was readmitted to the Labour Party by its ruling body on Tuesday, weeks after he was suspended by Starmer for downplaying criticism of the party's handling of anti-Semitism complaints under his leadership.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission said in October it had found the party responsible for unlawful harassment and discrimination in its handling of allegations of anti-Semitism.
"The investigation has identified serious failings in the Labour Party leadership in addressing anti-Semitism and an inadequate process for handling anti-Semitism complaints," said the EHRC, which launched its independent inquiry in May 2019.
Corbyn, a veteran pro-Palestinian activist, responded by saying the scale of Labour's anti-Semitism problem had been overstated by the media and his political opponents, and that his attempts to deal with the issue had been blocked by "obstructive party bureaucracy."
Starmer refused Wednesday to readmit Corbyn to the Parliamentary Labour Party, meaning he would not officially represent Labour in parliament and would continue to be classed as an "Independent" MP.
"Jeremy Corbyn's actions in response to the EHRC [Equality and Human Rights Commission] report undermined and set back our work in restoring trust and confidence in the Labour Party's ability to tackle anti-Semitism," Starmer tweeted.
"In those circumstances, I have taken the decision not to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn. I will keep this situation under review," he said.
British Jews responded with anger and disappointment Tuesday as the Labour National Executive Committee voted to readmit Corbyn, with leaders saying the move dashed hopes that the party was finally beginning to seriously tackle its anti-Semitism problem and win back the trust of the community.