The British public does not believe that Jeremy Corbyn will ever be able to end Labour’s antisemitism crisis, according to a new JC poll.
Fifty per cent of all voters say that Labour has a problem with anti-Jewish racism, up from 43 per cent in a similar poll in February.
The number of those who deny that Labour has a problem has fallen from 23 per cent to 18 per cent.
The YouGov survey for the JC reveals that even Labour voters in 2017 now believe that the party will not be able to solve the issue of antisemitism under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
Just 32 per cent of those who voted Labour in 2017 said it was “very” or “fairly” likely that Mr Corbyn would be able to deal with his party’s antisemitism issue.
Forty two per cent of Labour voters thought it was “very” or “fairly” unlikely.
For the public as whole, the figures were 16 per cent “very” or “fairly” likely compared to 59 per cent, who thought it unlikely.
Only 18 per cent of voters think that Mr Corbyn has been honest and transparent in responding to accusations of antisemitism in the Labour Party, compared to 60 per cent who say he has been neither honest nor transparent.
The poll also found that 65 per cent of voters believe Mr Corbyn’s handling of antisemitism accusations has been “incompetent”. Just 16 per cent think the Labour leader has been “competent”.
More Labour voters in 2017 think that Mr Corbyn has been dishonest than honest - 41 per cent versus 37 per cent.
Thirty six per cent of all voters say that Mr Corbyn is himself an antisemite.
The poll shows that the issue of Labour antisemitism has cut through to voters, with 80 per cent saying they had seen either “a little” or “a lot” of news coverage about it. This is now becoming a factor in how voters decide which party to support.
Of those who say they might consider voting Labour but are not currently planning to do so, 12 per cent say antisemitism would make them less likely to vote Labour.
According to Anthony Wells of YouGov, when coupled with the corresponding six per cent figure for those who are now inclined to vote Labour but are not certain, this means that the party may lose a further 900,000 votes because of antisemitism — this on top of those who have already decided they will not vote Labour because of antisemitism.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: "The Labour Party is fully committed to the support, defence and celebration of the Jewish community and its organisations. We are taking action against antisemitism, standing in solidarity with Jewish communities, and rebuilding trust."
YouGov polled 5,180 British adults. The fieldwork was carried out 14-17 May, 2019.
