Britain's human rights watchdog says it is investigating whether the country's main opposition Labour Party is guilty of illegal anti-Semitism.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission says it is examining whether the party "unlawfully discriminated against, harassed or victimized people because they are Jewish."

Labour has been riven by allegations that the party has become hostile to Jews under leader Jeremy Corbyn, a longtime supporter of the Palestinians.

Labour said Tuesday it was "fully committed to the support, defense and celebration of the Jewish community and is implacably opposed to anti-Semitism in any form."

But lawmaker Luciana Berger, who quit Labour earlier this year in part over anti-Semitism, said "the threshold to initiate this process is extremely high. That the Labour Party has even met the evidenciary threshold is damning."