Jeremy Corbyn said he will “strongly contest” the political intervention to suspend him from the party after the move split opinion on social media.
The former Labour leader was suspended in light of his comments made today and his failure to retract them subsequently, a spokesperson for the party said.
He has also had the whip removed from the Parliamentary Labour Party.
The astonishing development comes hours after Sir Keir Starmer, Corbyn’s successor as Labour leader, vowed “zero tolerance” towards antisemitism under his leadership, following the publication of a bombshell report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.
“If, after all the pain, all the grief and all the evidence in this report there are still those who think that there is no problem with antisemitism in the Labour Party – that it’s all exaggerated, or a factional attack – then frankly you are part of the problem too, and you should be nowhere near the Labour Party,” Starmer said.
His intervention came minutes after his predecessor Corbyn responded to the report by lashing out at “opponents inside and outside the Party” and the media, who he claims “dramatically overstated” the issue for “political reasons”.
Following news of the suspension Corbyn released a statement saying he will “strongly contest the political intervention to suspend me.
“I’ve made absolutely clear those who deny there has been an antisemitism problem in the Labour Party are wrong.
“I will continue to support a zero tolerance policy towards all forms of racism.”
The decision is likely to have huge ramifications, particularly on the left of the party – coming just weeks after Unite reduced its funding.
The reaction on both sides has been quite explosive. We’ve picked out the best so far below:
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