UK Labour leader says anti-Semitism brings shame on party

LONDON — Officials in Britain’s opposition Labour Party failed to stamp out anti-Semitism and committed “unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination,” the U.K. equalities watchdog said Thursday in a scathing report. Labour leader Keir Starmer promised “a culture change in the Labour Party,” saying there would be “no more denials or excuses.” “It is a day of shame for the Labour Party,” Starmer said. British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, said the report marked a “historic nadir for the Labour Party.” Corbyn stepped down as party leader in December after Labour had its worst general election showing since 1935. The left-wing campaign group Momentum called Corbyn “a lifelong, dedicated anti-racist” and said his suspension “risks politicizing Labour’s response to anti-Semitism.” But Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, welcomed the move, saying Corbyn’s “shameless comments today showed that he remains part of the problem and is an obstruction to the resolution of the issue.” Isaac Herzog, a former leader of Israel’s Labor Party who now chairs non-profit group the Jewish Agency for Israel, said the suspension of Corbyn ”marks an important milestone in eliminating the scourge of hatred and antisemitism from a historic and important party in Britain.”