Corbyn pledges conference vote to clamp down on anti-Semitism

Jeremy Corbyn will ask Labour conference to vote on tougher rules to tackle anti-Semitism and racism.

He said the planned change would rank prejudice with the same severity as supporting a rival party.

Corbyn confirmed the move as he engaged in clashes with Owen Smith at Jewish Labour hustings last night.

The new rules are expected to be considered by Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) tomorrow before conference begins on Saturday.

“Yes it will be going to conference and it follows on from the general anti-racism statement I proposed to the national executive some months ago which was actually unanimously agreed by the NEC.

“There’s something really sad that we’re the only political party that’s ever had a statement of general anti-racism.”

Smith also indicated support for the reforms when he spoke at the event in London last night, the Evening Standard reported.

“I felt it very sharply that we have previously treated supporting an alternative party as a more serious offence than articulating anti-Semitic or other racist or homophobic, for example, views. That cannot be right.”

Corbyn prompted jeers when he said the issue of anti-Semitism “predated my leadership” of the party.

A report commissioned by Corbyn from Shami Chakrabarti found Labour is “not over-run by anti-Semitism” and made 20 key recommendations. Chakrabarti was later awarded a peerage.

The Labour leader has been repeatedly criticised for not taking sufficient action to tackle anti-Semitism but last night he repeated his condemnation of the prejudice, saying it had “no place” in the party.

The event, which was organised by the Jewish Labour Movement, Labour Friends of Israel and JW3 with the Jewish News, was the final hustings in a long summer of debates.

Last week Sky News hosted the final televised hustings between Corbyn and Smith – an occasion in which some audience members appeared frustrated with both candidates.