Luciana Berger rejoins Labour Party after antisemitism apology

Luciana Berger is rejoining the Labour Party aft resigning successful protestation astatine the handling of antisemitism allegations 4 years ago.

She was 1 of respective MPs to permission Labour successful outpouring 2019, saying she was "embarrassed and ashamed" to stay.

Ms Berger has present accepted an apology from Sir Keir Starmer, who said determination had been a "litany of failures".

The erstwhile Liverpool Wavertree MP said the enactment had present "turned a important corner" nether Sir Keir's leadership.

She added: "I'm pleased to beryllium returning to my governmental home."

Ms Berger formed The Independent Group with respective different Labour and Conservative MPs erstwhile she near her party, saying determination had been a "sea of cases" of antisemitism and that complaints had been brushed nether the carpet.

She aboriginal joined the Liberal Democrats and was chosen to contention the spot of Finchley and Golders Green, but failed to triumph the vote.

Sir Keir said helium was "delighted" Ms Berger had accepted his invitation to rejoin the party, penning connected Twitter: "My trial for alteration was whether those who were rightly appalled by however acold we had fallen judge this is their enactment again.

"I cognize we've much to bash but we're unrecognisable from the enactment that forced her out."

He shared letters the brace had exchanged, successful which Ms Berger spoke of the "grim journey" from 2015 to 2019 "during which the enactment fell into the depths of the abyss nether Jeremy Corbyn's reign".

She said she felt she had nary prime different than to leave, writing: "I ne'er expected to carnivore witnesser to the measurement and toxicity of anti-Jewish racism espoused by radical who had been allowed to articulation Labour, and to acquisition a enactment that treated antisemitism wrong the party's ranks otherwise to each different benignant of racism - and that by refusing to condemn it, encouraged it.

"But that is precisely what happened."

In his letter, Sir Keir said Ms Berger had been "forced retired by intimidation, thuggery and racism" and had made a "brave move" - albeit 1 she "should ne'er person been forced to take".

"That time volition everlastingly beryllium a stain connected Labour's history," helium added.

Sir Keir said she had suffered maltreatment and was near "isolated and exposed", adding the enactment and British authorities were "poorer places" without her.

A study from the Equality and Human Rights Commission successful 2020 said determination had been "a civilization wrong the enactment which, astatine best, did not bash capable to forestall antisemitism and, astatine worst, could beryllium seen to judge it".

It recovered Labour had breached equality instrumentality implicit its handling of antisemitism complaints.

Former person Jeremy Corbyn rejected immoderate of the findings, saying the contented had been "dramatically overstated" by his critics. He insisted determination was nary spot for antisemitism successful Labour, but was suspended from the enactment by Labour's headquarters.

Sir Keir said the findings of the EHRC probe were "hard to read", adding that it had been "a time of shame for the Labour Party".