JEREMY Corbyn tried to persuade shamed Labour MP Jared O’Mara NOT to resign from the Commons equalities committee - after he’d already quit.

At a private meeting of Labour MPs earlier this week the Labour leader said he shouldn’t have been forced to stand down from the influential committee - despite being exposed for homophobic and racist comments.

2 Jeremy Corbyn urged him to stay on the committee, it has been revealed Credit: AP

A source told The Sun: “Corbyn stood up in response to Jared’s statement and said he shouldn’t stand down from the committee.”

Just 36 hours later Mr Corbyn asked Labour’s General Secretary Iain McNicol to suspend Mr O’Mara following further revelations of sexism.

Mr Corbyn’s close ally and Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti - who was slammed for her “whitewash” report into antisemitism in Labour - has also defended O’Mara, comparing his views on the PM’s thoughts about gay marriage.

She said Mr O’Mara deserves a second chance.

2 Labour has suspended Sheffield MP Jared O'Mara Credit: 3

Baroness Chakrabarti told the BBC: “People should be allowed to make mistakes and be allowed to show what they did wasn’t right.”

The shadow attorney general said she listened to a speech the Prime Minister gave last week attacking homophobia, but said: “Her record voting gay issues is not the same.”

She told Radio 4’s Women House Mrs May “should be allowed to go on that journey”.

Ms Chakrabarti went on to say it was “not about throwing stones”, and she didn’t “want to make it a party political issue” – but then went on to attack Boris Johnson for some of his past comments.

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn disputed claims that he tried to persuade Mr O'Mara not to resign, insisting he did not make the comments in the meeting.

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