What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Comparing Israel to Nazi Germany is "wrong" and "I would never do that", Jeremy Corbyn declared today.

The Labour leader's comments suggest party chiefs could U-turn within days and include such comparisons in Labour's definition of anti-Semitism.

A row with Jewish groups has raged for months after Labour's ruling NEC failed to say "comparing contemporary Israeli policies to those of the Nazis" is anti-Semitic.

The example is one of four that Labour failed to adopt - despite the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance saying they "could" be anti-Semitic in "overall context".

Mr Corbyn was himself accused of making the comparison after telling a 2013 rally that Palestinians in the West Bank live "under occupation of the very sort that would be recognised by many people in Europe who suffered occupation during the Second World War, with the endless road blocks, imprisonment, irrational behaviour by the military and the police."

(Image: Daily Record) (Image: Getty)

He also apologised after it emerged he hosted a 2010 event whose Jewish speaker compared Israel to Nazis.

But asked today if such a comparison was acceptable, Mr Corbyn said: "It's completely out of bounds and it would be wrong to do so and I would never do that."

He added: "What I want to have is the ability to have a legitimate proper discussion, debate, about Palestine, about Israel's relationship to Palestine, about Israel's policy in relation to Gaza, the West Bank and the settlement policy.

"But that debate must never, ever be conducted in an atmosphere or use of anti-Semitic language or examples in any way.

Anti-Semitism row explained - what Labour's new code actually says Labour's row is about its new code of conduct on anti-Semitism. This is a set of rules, approved by Labour's NEC in July 2018, to decide if a member's remarks are racist and should get them expelled. Critics are angry that Labour's code does not fully match a widely-accepted definition of anti-Semitism that was agreed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2016. So what's the difference? The IHRA definition is explained in a one-and-a-half page document. This document, adopted in full as one piece by the IHRA, begins by stating the "non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism" in bold text in a box. Then, after that box, the IHRA lists 11 examples "to guide IHRA in its work" of what "could" illustrate anti-Semitism, "taking into account the overall context". Labour has adopted that short-form definition of anti-Semitism word for word. But it has not adopted four of the IHRA's examples of possible anti-Semitic behaviour, contained within the same document. Those are: Accusing Jewish people of being more loyal to Israel than their home country;

Claiming that Israel's existence as a state is a racist endeavour;

Requiring higher standards of behaviour from Israel than other nations;

Comparing contemporary Israeli policies to those of the Nazis. Supporters say this is because Labour's describes its examples as "likely" to be regarded as anti-Semitic. The IHRA examples "could" be anti-Semitic once the "overall context" is taken into account - which Jeremy Corbyn allies argue is a weaker threshold. Labour's code also adds insults like "kike" and "yid" to the examples, as well as referring to someone's Judaism with no justification. Critics say the discrepancy means those using conspiracy theories or comparing Israel to Nazi Germany will go unpunished. Scores of rabbis, Jewish newspapers and several Jewish groups, including the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council, have called for the IHRA definition to be adopted in full. For a full explanation of the row click here.

"And I think it is important that we frame our policies surrounding that.

"And that's why my party's NEC has a very comprehensive code of conduct which we agreed at our last NEC meeting.

"I simply don't do that, don't agree with that, and I think it's a wrong thing to do."

Pressed on whether it will now be forbidden under Labour members' code of conduct, he said: "We are meeting the NEC in 10 days' time to deal with the consultation we have at the present time."