The Labour Party and trades union bosses have stood by Mark Serwotka after he claimed Israel could have “created” the antisemitism row that has plagued the party.

Mr Serwotka, who leads the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), told a fringe event at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) conference on Tuesday that the Jewish state could have “created a story that does not exist” in order to distract attention from “atrocities” he said it has committed.

The comments, revealed by The Independent, come after Labour was engulfed in a bitter row in the summer on its handling of allegations of antisemitism in its ranks.

Labour has refused to comment on the remarks, or to respond to questions on whether the party would launch an investigation into Mr Serwotka’s conduct.

The TUC also did not directly condemn Mr Serwotka’s comments and failed to respond to questions over whether he would remain president of the umbrella body, a position he was elected to this week.

Asked about his remarks, a spokesperson said: “The TUC opposes antisemitism and discrimination of all kinds, as do our member unions. All TUC unions have a commitment to tackling racism and promoting equality in their rules.

“If anyone experiences antisemitism, or any form of discrimination in the union movement, they should be confident that they can raise it with their union, and their union will take their concerns seriously.”

The row centres on remarks made by Mr Serwotka at a Palestine Solidarity Campaign event, where said he “deplored” antisemitism but claimed accusations against Jeremy Corbyn were the result of “something sinister going on”.

He said: “I think it is unfortunate that the Labour Party allowed a lot of this to drag on in a way that actually did not help anybody.

“In a year when Donald Trump has moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in a year when dozens of Palestinians including children were gunned down – unarmed innocent civilians – by the Israeli military, in a year when the Americans are cutting off aid ... isn’t it a vile world when, instead of being on the front foot, denouncing these atrocities, demanding an independent and sovereign state for the Palestinian people, we have had a summer of asking ourselves whether leading Labour movement people are in any way antisemitic?”

He added: “I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I’ll tell you what – one of the best forms of trying to hide from the atrocities that you are committing is to go on the offensive and actually create a story that does not exist for people on this platform, the trade union movement or, I have to say, for the leader of the Labour Party.”

Euan Philipps, a spokesperson for Labour Against Antisemitism, said the speech was “a stark illustration of how deeply embedded antisemitism is within the Labour movement” and called for Mr Serwotka to resign as PCS general secretary.

Protests against Labour antisemitism Show all 14 1 /14 Protests against Labour antisemitism Protests against Labour antisemitism Protesters clashed during the demonstration Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism Members of the Jewish community hold a protest against Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn and antisemitism in the Labour Party AFP/Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism Protesters hold placards and flags during a demonstration, organised by the British Board of Jewish Deputies for those who oppose antisemitism, in Parliament Square Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism Hundreds of people gathered in Parliament Square to protest against antisemitism in the Labour Party EPA Protests against Labour antisemitism Labour MP Luciana Berger speaks during the protest PA Protests against Labour antisemitism A protester blows through a shofar during the demonstration Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism Members of London's Jewish community protest in support of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn outside parliament EPA Protests against Labour antisemitism Labour MP John Mann speaks during a protest against antisemitism PA Protests against Labour antisemitism People protest against antisemitism in the Labour Party as Jewish community leaders have launched a scathing attack on Jeremy Corbyn, claiming he has sided with antisemites ‘again and again’ PA Protests against Labour antisemitism Labour politicians Stella Creasy and Chuka Umunna leave after attending the demonstration Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism A pro-Jeremy Corbyn protester holds a placard during a counter-protest Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism A support of the Labour Party hold up a placard during the demonstration Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism Jeremy Corbyn supporters during the demo Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism A protester holds up a sign reading ‘For the many, not the Jew’ AFP

However, the union has stood by him, with a spokesperson saying: “Mark spoke at a Palestine Solidarity Campaign fringe event at the TUC – an organisation PCS is affiliated to.

“He made the point at the start of the meeting that we need to oppose antisemitism in society and within the Labour movement.