Jeremy Corbyn has said he is "sincerely sorry for the pain which has been caused" to the Jewish community by "pockets" of antisemitism within the Labour Party and pledged to meet communal leaders, in response to the row over his apparent support of a mural widely viewed as antisemitic.
In response, the JC has been told by both the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) and Board of Deputies that: "We have not agreed to meet. We are considering."
Earlier today the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) and the Board of Deputies encouraged “concerned members of the Jewish community” to gather in Parliament Square in Westminster, central London, at 5.30pm on Monday evening.
They plan to deliver a letter to a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party condemning Mr Corbyn’s “systematic failure to understand and deal with antisemitism”.
This evening Mr Corbyn said he intended to meet representatives from the Jewish community “in the coming days, weeks and months” to rebuild its trust in the Labour Party.
He said: “Labour is an anti-racist party and I utterly condemn antisemitism, which is why as Leader of the Labour Party I want to be clear that I will not tolerate any form of antisemitism that exists in and around our movement. We must stamp this out from our party and movement.
"We recognise that antisemitism has occurred in pockets within the Labour Party, causing pain and hurt to our Jewish community in the Labour Party and the rest of the country. I am sincerely sorry for the pain which has been caused.
“Our party has deep roots in the Jewish community and is actively engaged with Jewish organisations across the country.
"We are campaigning to increase support and confidence in Labour among Jewish people in the UK. I know that to do so, we must demonstrate our total commitment to excising pockets of antisemitism that exist in and around our party.
"Labour will work to unite communities to achieve social justice in our society."
