Jeremy Corbyn fails to heal anti-Semitism wounds A meeting with Jewish leaders has failed to improve a crisis over anti-Semitism causing deep rifts within the Labour Party.

Image: Corbyn continues to be the focus of an anti-Semitism row

If Jeremy Corbyn thought he could heal the wounds on anti-Semitism with some warm words and a contrite apology to Jewish leaders, he was very badly mistaken.

After a two-hour showdown in his Commons office, relations between the Labour leader and leading Jews are probably worse now than they were before the meeting.

Four weeks ago, in Parliament Square, Jewish leaders and Labour backbenchers made passionate speeches at an unprecedented demonstration against anti-Semitism and Mr Corbyn's response to it.

And now, after their meeting with him, the Jewish leaders angrily accused him of failing to agree to their demands for tougher action against anti-Semitism and of making excuses about why he was unable to act.

Mr Corbyn must have thought he had done a pretty good job preparing for his meeting with the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council with an article for London's Evening Standard.


Jewish leaders 'extremely disappointed'

He could not have asked for more from the paper's editor, the former Tory Chancellor George Osborne, who gave Mr Corbyn's article maximum prominence on the front page and sympathetic treatment.

It was "his most contrite apology yet for the failings" and an "emotional mea culpa… confessing the scale of the problem", the paper said. Tory MPs must have been furious with their former colleague Mr Osborne!

But they needn't have worried. When the Jewish leaders emerged from their meeting with Mr Corbyn, their response was scathing. "Words in letters and newspaper articles will never be enough," they declared. Ouch!

Mr Corbyn's attempt to build bridges looks dead in the water, after the community leaders said the meeting had been difficult and dismissed it as "a disappointing missed opportunity" to deal with the problems of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.

The Labour leader had said no, they complained, to a fixed timetable to deal with anti-Semitism cases, no to speeding up dealing with Ken Livingstone, no to barring MPs from sharing a platform with anti-Semites and no to other demands.

So there are no plans for further meetings. In fact, the Jewish community leaders are adamant that they see no point in talking to Mr Corbyn again until he takes some action. They wanted to build trust with him, they said, until his actions match his words.

:: Labour MPs call for action in emotional anti-Semitism debate

But as well as failing to heal the wounds with the Jewish community, Mr Corbyn is not getting anywhere either on healing the wounds over anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. If there are moves to expel people - and there have been very few so far - that will trigger bitter recriminations.

For example, left-winger Marc Wadsworth's expulsion hearing is finally going ahead, nearly two years after his clash with the Jewish Labour MP Ruth Smeeth at the launch of the Shami Chakrabarti report on anti-Semitism that was dismissed as a whitewash by critics.

Watch anti-Semitism speech that got standing ovation

But supporters of both sides are planning to confront each other with rival demonstrations.

Clive Lewis, Keith Vaz and Chris Williamson are backing Mr Wadsworth, while Wes Streeting and other MPs - a "lynch mob", according to Mr Wadsworth - are backing Ms Smeeth.

Not very comradely. But then the Labour anti-Semitism row is probably one of the most poisonous in the party's long history. And it's probably fair to say it won't be resolved as long as Mr Corbyn is leader.

The party's dispute with the Jewish community probably won't be resolved, either, as long as he is leader. Or indeed while Mr Corbyn's left-wing friend and ally Ken Livingstone remains in the Labour Party.

Labour MPs and the Jewish community say they want more than warm words and a contrite apology. As the Jewish leaders said, strong words must be turned into equally strong actions.

And Mr Corbyn's critics doubt whether he is willing to go that far.