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

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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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Key Points

• Jeremy Corbyn expected to meet with Jewish leaders later today
• Government to waive citizenship fees and tests for Windrush scandal victims regardless of documentation 
• Lords defeat government on plans to scrap EU Charter of Fundamental Rights as part of UK law

[24 April 2018 12:45 · Ashley Cowburn]

"We are aware of reports over the weekend, with significant civilian causalities," says the foreign office minister Harriet Baldwin, referring to a bomb by the Saudi-led coalition on a Yemeni wedding at the wedding. 

She says there needs to be a political solution to bring stability in the region.

Ms Baldwin is responding to an urgent question in the Commons on the conflict in the region.

Stephen Twigg, the Labour MP, urges the UK government to bring a UN resolution to the table.

[24 April 2018 12:52 · Ashley Cowburn]

Kate Osamor, the shadow international development secretary, repeats Labour's call to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia after the strike on the Yemeni wedding at the weekend.

[24 April 2018 13:23 · Ashley Cowburn]

[24 April 2018 13:38 · Ashley Cowburn]

[24 April 2018 13:41 · Ashley Cowburn]

David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, has been forced to apologise after making an impromptu trip to the Irish border. 

Mr Davis spent two hours near the border in Northern Ireland on Monday, but the trip drew criticism from Sinn Fein because the area's local MP was not informed.

Mickey Brady, MP for Newry and Armagh, accused Mr Davis of avoiding a meeting with him because he is "afraid to face the truth about Brexit".

A spokeswoman for the Government's Department for Exiting the European Union said of the lack of notification: "This was an administrative oversight for which we are happy to apologise."

The DUP were not given notice of the trip either but the spokeswoman said the Northern Ireland Office had been informed ahead of the visit.

Mr Brady's party colleague, West Belfast MP Paul Maskey, said Mr Davis had shown "contempt" for local politicians and not followed protocol in arranging the visit.

[24 April 2018 14:03 · Ashley Cowburn]

[24 April 2018 14:10 · Ashley Cowburn]

[24 April 2018 14:18 · Ashley Cowburn]

Politicians have been responding to the new statue in Parliament Square.

Prime Minister Theresa May tweeted: "I would not be here today as PM, no female MPs would have taken their seats in Parliament, none of us would have the rights and protections we now enjoy, were it not for Millicent Fawcett."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan wrote: "Inspiring to stand with so many women who have worked tirelessly for gender equality. I want London to be a beacon for women's rights and equality."

And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wrote on Facebook: "Today is an important step, but it's just the beginning.

"We must recognise many more women, who have been pioneers in their fields and transformed our society for the better, and are fighting to achieve full gender equality."

[24 April 2018 15:15 · Ashley Cowburn]

[24 April 2018 15:31 · Ashley Cowburn]

Raising serious concerns about the Home Secretary’s statement and calling for urgent clarifications of the government’s policy, David Lammy said:

Labour MP David Lammy has just put out this statement, raising concerns about the home secretary's statement on Windrush on Monday and calling for urgent clarification.

“The Windrush Generation were British citizens when they were invited here under the terms of the 1948 British Nationality Act. Their citizenship is theirs by right. It is not a gift that the government can choose to benevolently bestow on or grant to certain individuals. The Windrush children are merely reclaiming the rights that were taken away from them – rights that are rooted in our nation’s history of colonialism and empire.

“Yesterday the Home Secretary said that the burden of proof had previously been “too much on the individual” and that the Home Office will now work in a much more “proactive and personable way”, exercising greater discretion.

“Windrush children urgently need details about what this means in practice. What is the burden of proof being required of these people? What is the threshold that they have to meet? What exactly is meant by the “balance of probabilities” that the Home Secretary referred to? What happens if an individual does not meet this threshold – are there details going to be passed to immigration enforcement so they can be detained or deported?

“I have had nine cases today alone, clearly demonstrating that Windrush children have been too scared to come forward, fearing detention and deportation if they raise their cases with the Home Office. Windrush children need a guarantee that this helpline will not be used as an information gathering service for immigration enforcement.

“Given the scale of this crisis and the shocking way in which so many innocent people have been treated, the Home Office should surely be placing the burden of proof on its own shoulders to prove that somebody is here unlawfully, rather than the other way round. The Home Secretary should immediately guarantee the status of every individual who has evidence to prove their arrival within the timeframe the Home Secretary set out.”