Jeremy Corbyn will definitely not be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate at the next general election, Keir Starmer has said.
Corbyn lost the party whip in 2020 after he said cases of anti-Semitism in Labour while he had been leader were “overstated” by his political opponents.
The former leader’s allies have long since demanded it be returned so he can stand as the Labour candidate in his Islington North constituency.
But speaking in east. London on Wednesday, Starmer confirmed that Corbyn would be banned from seeking the Labour nomination in the seat.
“Jeremy Corbyn will not stand for Labour at the next general election as a Labour Party candidate,” he said.
It came as the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) announced it was no longer monitoring the party.
In October 2020 it found the party guilty of unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination over anti-Semitism. Today it said it was satisfied with reforms that had been made.
Starmer said today the conclusions meant he could say “firmly, proudly, confidently: the Labour Party has changed”.
“To all those who were hurt, who were let down, who were driven out of our party, who no longer felt it was their home, who suffered the most appalling abuse,” he said.
“Today, on behalf of the entire Labour Party, I say sorry. What you have been through can never be undone. Apologies alone cannot make it right.” Starmer added:
“I don’t see today’s announcement as the end of the road. I see it as a signpost that we are heading in the right direction.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.