There is “a way back” for Jeremy Corbyn, says Shadow Welsh Secretary

Labour’s Nia Griffiths has said “there can be a way back” for Jeremy Corbyn after the former Labour leader was suspended from the party following his reaction to the Equality and Human Rights Commission report into antisemitism.

Discussing the disciplinary action on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, the Shadow Welsh Secretary told listeners that there is a “proper process” to be followed in relation to Corbyn’s membership suspension and removal of the parliamentary whip.

Commenting on the report, Griffith said: “This is a report, which has been very upsetting, very shocking, particularly to us as a party which has championed equality and human rights, to find ourselves the subject of an investigation and the findings, of course, as dreadful as they are.

“As Keir Starmer said very clearly, we accept in full this report and that means not denying or belittling the problem.”

The EHRC concluded on Thursday that Labour is responsible for three breaches of the Equality Act – relating to political interference in antisemitism complaints; failure to provide adequate training to those handling them; and harassment.

Corbyn issued a statement in response to the report, which claimed the “the scale of the [antisemitism] problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party”.

A Labour spokesperson subsequently announced that Corbyn had been suspended, and the Parliamentary Labour Party whip removed from the Labour MP, “in light of his comments made today and his failure to retract them”.

Asked if there is any way back from suspension for the Islington MP, Griffith told listeners: “Absolutely, there’s a proper process. I’m sure that there can be a way back if that’s what he chooses.”

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said on Thursday that the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn was a move that “will create chaos within the party” and urged the new Labour leader to find a “unifying way forward”.

Commenting on the remarks by the general secretary, Griffith argued that McCluskey has “always had his own views… but I do think that the majority of our members want to get things right, they do want us to be in the right place on this”.

Asked whether she regretted serving in the shadow cabinet under Corbyn as leader, she explained: “No, and I think the point is that what we both tried to do, both Keir Starmer and I in shadow cabinet and out on the media, was say ‘this is a problem that needed to be put right.'”

Several MPs and groups within the Labour Party, as well as trade union Unite leader Len McCluskey have argued that the suspension is wrong, and called on the Labour leader to reverse the disciplinary action taken against Corbyn.

Keir Starmer has this morning defended the move from the party as “appropriate” but argued that he does not want a “civil war”. He said: “That’s the right action – difficult, very difficult action but the right action, which I fully support.”