Starmer: I think we should celebrate Jewish traditions and history

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said that the party should learn about Jewish history and celebrate Jewish traditions to root out antisemitism.

“I think we should celebrate Jewish traditions and history,” Starmer said during an online conference with the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM),an affiliate of the Labour Party.

Honoured to have been invited to speak at @JewishLabour’s One Day Conference today.

When I became Labour leader, I made a promise to regain the trust of the Jewish community.

There is a long way to go, but I intend to keep that promise. #JLM2020 https://t.co/Bx5hZSqjH1

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 29, 2020

We’re live on Facebook with @Keir_Starmer and @RuthSmeeth at our One Day Conference! #jlm2020https://t.co/RlIxObhHkk

— Jewish Labour Movement (@JewishLabour) November 29, 2020

Starmer spoke about his efforts to combat antisemitism within the party, stating that he wants to make the Labour Party a safe place for everyone.

“We will only deal with this when we change the culture of the Labour Party, as well as the process [for dealing with antisemitic complains], to make it a party that is a safe place for everyone in it,” Starmer told Ruth Smeeth, a former Labour MK and a national vice chairwoman of JLM.

Starmer added, “For me, success will only come when everyone in our Jewish communities feels safe in the Labour Party and when those who have left feel safe to return, if that’s what they want to do.”

“We have to keep on taking action, keep on saying it, that there is no place for antisemitism in our party. I have to lead the zero tolerance and make it clear we won’t tolerate this in our party,” Starmer said, referring to the EHRC report on antisemitism in the Labour Party, which found that the party had broken the law regarding three components of equality laws.

Starmer lamented Corbyn’s response to the EHRC report on antisemitism in the Labour Party.

Following the release of the report, Corbyn said antisemitism in Labour was “dramatically overstated for political reasons by iour opponents inside and outside the party as well as by much of the media.”

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Starmer said he and the party are working on an action plan as part of its response to the EHRC report, and it will be submitted in the coming weeks.

“This for me is not about making us more electorally attractive. This is about the soul of the Labour Party, what it represents, its value and its principles,” Starmer said. “I think we made some progress in the early months. We’ve been set back by what Jeremy did, but we won’t get deflected.”