Britain’s equality watchdog has announced it is no longer “monitoring” the Labour Party after the body’s damning anti-Semitism report over two years ago.
It marks a major moment for the party after its “day of shame” in October 2020 when the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found it had committed unlawful acts.
The issue had dogged Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the party while the ex-Labour leader has had the whip suspended ever since over his response to the 130-page report.
In a speech on Wednesday in east London, Keir Starmer will again apologise on behalf of the party.
He will say: “To all those who were hurt, who were let down, who were driven out of the 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”.
The Labour leader will add the announcement is an “important moment in the history of the Labour Party” – but insist it is not “the end of the road” for reforms.
After an 18-month probe, the equalities body said in 2020 the party had flouted equalities law including harrasssment and discrimination.
It detailed a “breakdown of trust between the party, its Jewish members and the wider Jewish community”
But in a statement published on Wednesday, the Chief Executive of the EHRC Marcial Boo said the body “concluded our monitoring” of the Labour Party on January 31, 2023.
Mr Boo said the body is now “satisfied that the party had implemented the necessary actions to improve its complaints, recruitment, training and other procedures on the legal standard required”.
After an 18-month probe, the equalities body said in 2020 the party had flouted equalities law including harassment and discrimination.
“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.
“We are pleased that our investigation and action plan has had the desired impact in this case”.
Among the watchdog’s demands were for Labour to commit to zero-tolerance of anti-Semitism and to set up an independent complaints handling process.
Consultation over the reforms had to include the Jewish community, social media guidelines had to be tightened and due diligence checks had to be strengthened on candidates.
The Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust Karen Pollock said the EHRC announcement is a “welcome step and certainly shows that progress has been made within the Labour Party”.
She added: “The trauma of the anti-Jewish racism that permeated through the Labour Party over a period of five years is still felt by Jewish people within the Labour movement and the wider Jewish community.
“Today’s news is another step in the right direction to consign this shameful period to history and for the Labour Party to take responsibility once again for what happened.”
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PA)
Mr Starmer is still yet to decide the fate of his predecessor Mr Corbyn, who has been sitting as an independent MP for Islington North since October 2020.
While the ex-Labour leader has been readmitted to the Labour Party – after his suspension in October 2020 – Mr Starmer has refused to restore the whip.
In December last year the Labour leader said: “I don’t see the circumstances where Jeremy Corbyn will stand as a Labour candidate [at the next election]”.
Mr Corbyn has previously insisted the whip was “wrongly removed” and should be reinstated, saying: “I was elected as a Labour MP and proud to be so”.