Rachel Riley: It is disgusting Jeremy Corbyn is back in the Labour Party
18 November 2020, 08:00
Rachel Riley: It is disgusting Corbyn is back in Labour
Rachel Riley told LBC's Nick Ferrari that the decision to reinstate Jeremy Corbyn as a member of the Labour party was "absolutely disgusting" and "ridiculous."
It comes as the former Labour leader was suspended after claiming in his response to a damning Equality and Human Rights Commission report last month that the problem had been "dramatically overstated".
The broadcaster and campaigner said the former Labour leader "was suspended for bringing the party into disrepute and he has 100% brought the party into disrepute."
She went on to say that Mr Corbyn has "caused so much upset, and has no awareness of what he's done."
When Nick asked how she would respond to comments that it was a "new day and a new dawn for the Labour Party's relationship with Jewish people," the reply was that it was "100 steps backwards."
Branding the readmission of Mr Corbyn as "beyond a joke," Ms Riley said it sends the message that "Jewish people are lying and smearing for political reasons."
The broadcaster then told LBC listeners a personal story of just some of the online abuse she has received.
"Because of these dogwhistles Jews have been harassed for five years plus," Ms Riley said.
The Islington North MP was suspended from Labour last month for his response to a damning Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report which found that the party had broken the law in its handling of anti-Semitism complaints.
Mr Corbyn claimed that the scale of anti-Semitism in the party was "dramatically overstated for political reasons" by opponents and "much of the media" - though he has since sought to clarify his comments.
A panel of the NEC decided on Tuesday that the former party leader should be readmitted as a member, but he will continue to sit as an independent MP unless Sir Keir restores the whip.
'Jeremy Corbyn has been let back in Labour with the lightest of slaps on the wrist'
She told LBC that "under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership complaints about anti-Semitism skyrocketed."
"And they chose not to deal with them," she added.
Ms Riley told LBC she never saw a path back into the party for Mr Corbyn.
"He's travelled across the world to lay wreaths for terrorists who murdered Jews, he campaigned for ten years to have people convicted of terrorism for bombing Jewish charities in London released from prison."
Branding Mr Corbyn a "disgrace" the broadcaster said she was "so annoyed, so upset."
