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Westminster today - as it happened: Jeremy Corbyn to meet Jewish leaders to address antisemitism in the Labour party

Follow all the latest updates from Westminster

Ashley Cowburn
Political Correspondent
Tuesday 24 April 2018 17:46 BST
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Holocaust survivor Susan Pollack explains on what Jeremy Corbyn needs to do to help eradicate antisemitism in the Labour Party

Jeremy Corbyn is expected to meet with Jewish leaders later today for talks following a row within the party over accusations of antisemitism.

Organisations representing Jewish communities will call on Mr Corbyn to use his “personal authority” to drive through changes to wipe out the problem in the party.

It comes after the Labour leader apologised in an article in the London Evening Standard, saying his party had "not done enough" to tackle the issue and admitted that Labour method's of dealing with antisemitism were "not fully fit for purpose".

Jewish people “deserve an apology”, he said, adding that he was “sorry for the hurt and distressed caused”.

He continued: “Antisemitism is a poison that must be challenged wherever it raises its head, across Europe and at home. Hatred and bigotry towards Jewish people has no place in our society, whether on the streets or online. And that of course goes for the Labour Party too."

“We have not done enough to get to grips with the problem, and the Jewish community and our Jewish members deserve an apology. My party and I are sorry for the hurt and distress caused.”

Admitting the party's current structures are “simply not fully fit for purpose” when it comes to dealing with anti-Jewish abuse, he outlined a series of steps Labour will take to address the problem. These include a “programme of political education” to help party members recognise and tackle antisemitism, and the appointment of a legal expert to advise on disciplinary matters.

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Welcome to The Independent's politics liveblog, where we will be bringing you all the latest updates from Westminster today.

This is from the Press Association on Corbyn's meeting later with Jewish leader

Jeremy Corbyn will meet Jewish leaders for talks after weeks of turmoil over his handling of anti-Semitism in the Labour party. The 5pm showdown comes after protests, criticism from Labour MPs and international condemnation over the way the Opposition leader has dealt with hostility to Jews.

Organisations representing Jewish communities will call on Mr Corbyn to use his "personal authority" to drive through changes to wipe out the problem in the party.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) said there must be "action not words" when they accepted his invitation to meet.

Labour Jewish MPs spoke out about anti-Semitism in the party during a debate in Parliament and warned "enough is enough".

London Mayor Sadiq Khan admitted Jewish people who would like to vote Labour are "finding it very difficult" because of the party's handling of the issue.

Prime Minister Theresa May accused Mr Corbyn of allowing anti-Semitism to "run rife" in his party.

The Board of Deputies, made up of almost 300 deputies directly elected by synagogues and community organisations, and the JLC, a charity supporting the Jewish community, took the unusual step of protesting outside Parliament in March before delivering an open letter to a meeting of Labour MPs and peers about their concerns.

The Labour leader has said he is "happy to meet" the two bodies "without any preconditions" and pledged to hear their concerns about tackling anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.

In a letter accepting his invitation, the organisations thanked Mr Corbyn for his commitment to addressing the "anguish" caused by anti-Semitic incidents.

But they said recent events had not been "reassuring" for Jewish people in Britain, and told him he must root anti-Semitism out of his party.

And they later refused to attend a roundtable meeting Labour had proposed to hold on Wednesday with a wider group of Jewish organisations that reportedly included Jewish Voice for Labour, a recently established group that has downplayed the issue.

Supporters of Mr Corbyn have claimed the row has been stoked up by his opponents to damage him.

The Labour leader has admitted the party needs to "do better" in the fight against abuse and has issued an apology for the "pain and hurt" caused by anti-Semitism.

Israel's Labor party suspended relations with Mr Corbyn over the "hostility" it claims the leader has shown to the Jewish community.

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2018 08:21
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Ashley Cowburn24 April 2018 08:54
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The former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown has just tweeted this: 

It's not exactly a shining endorsement of the current Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Vince Cable.

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2018 09:13
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Holocaust survivor Susan Pollack called for Jeremy Corbyn to show leadership in tackling anti-Semitism.

"He has to act and he has to show his leadership, and then I think that's the only way we will have respect," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Shadow communities secretary Andrew Gwynne told the programme: "We have got an issue in the Labour Party ... We have got to acknowledge that that problem exists and, for some, that is a challenge.

"For me, the Labour Party was created to fight injustice, to fight against prejudice, to fight against hatred, and that we are where we are really hurts me, so we have got to act."

He added: "We have to rebuild confidence in the Jewish community.

"There are lots of Jewish people that share Labour's values for social justice, that want a progressive government based on fairness, and that they currently don't find a home in the Labour Party, I think, is troubling.

"I think it's my job as shadow communities secretary to try and rebuild some of that trust and it's Jeremy's job as the leader of the Labour Party to try and rebuild some of that trust."

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2018 09:19
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This a little cringe-inducing. One of the Foreign Office's top civil servants has tweeted an apology after accidentally referring to a sikh temple as a mosque.

Here is his apology: 

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2018 09:23
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