David Feldman, the joint vice-chairman of Labour's inquiry into antisemitism, has acknowledged the credibility of the report was damaged by its author's acceptance of a peerage.

Professor Feldman, director of the Pears Institute for the study of Antisemitism in London, fielded questions on Baroness Chakrabarti's controversial probe at a session at Liverpool Limmud.

He said he only knew of her peerage when it was announced shortly after the report's publication in July.

"It matters not whether I think it damages the report," he said. "It has damaged the credibility of the report among large sections of the public, not only among Jews."

But he stressed he knew "of no evidence that follows that the inquiry was conducted as a whitewash because of some prospect of gain".

When a member of the audience accused Prof Feldman of demonising Israel, he quipped: "I think it does a good job on its own", before apologising for the remark after cries of protest.