Starmer hits Corbyn with an election bar
SIR Keir Starmer has for the first time unequivocally barred his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn from standing as a Labour candidate at the next general election as he invited his critics to leave the party.
On an “important day” for Labour, Sir Keir welcomed the equalities watchdog’s decision to lift the party out of two years of special measures over its past failings on antisemitism.
He used a speech on Wednesday to invite his opponents on the Labour left to leave the party which he said is now “unrecognisable” from its form under Mr Corbyn.
“Let me be very clear, Jeremy Corbyn will not stand at the next general election as a Labour Party candidate,” Sir Keir said in east London.
“What I said about the party changing I meant and we are not going back.”
Mr Corbyn will speak to
Labour members in his Islington North constituency before deciding his next steps, the PA news agency understands.
But his allies expect Sir Keir to have the powers to prevent any challenge for the candidacy against the leadership’s wishes.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) had been monitoring Labour since ruling in 2020 that it was responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination under Mr Corbyn.
But on Wednesday the watchdog judged that, under Sir Keir, Labour has improved its complaints and training procedures to protect current and future party members.
Mr Corbyn was suspended from the parliamentary party over his response to EHRC’s damning report in 2020 and now sits as an independent MP.
Sir Keir has long indicated that Mr Corbyn will not be standing again for Labour but this is the first time he confirmed the barring of the veteran MP who led the party to two election defeats.
Mr Corbyn’s next steps are unclear, but if he decides to run as an independent MP Labour would face a challenge to win his seat of Islington North.
The left-wing veteran commands significant local support there, having represented the London constituency for 40 years.
Sir Keir reiterated his vow that anyone who plays down antisemitism will be treated with “zero patience or tolerance” and acknowledged it is not “the end of the road” for tackling the issue.
“I understand that some people won’t like the changes we’ve made but I say this with all candour, the Labour Party is unrecognisable from 2019 and it will never go back,” he said. “It will never again be a party captured by narrow interest, it will never again lose sight of its purpose or its morals. And it will never again be brought to its knees by racism or bigotry.”