Corbyn insists Berger left Labour because ‘she was setting up new party’

Jeremy Corbyn has appeared to downplay the impact antisemitic abuse had on former MP Luciana Berger’s decision to quit the Labour Party.

In a new interview Corbyn was asked about Berger’s decision to quit Labour after claiming the party was “institutionally, sickeningly, antisemitic”.

He responded by saying:”She was also setting up another party at the same time.”

Later in the same interview Corbyn was asked if he was “sorry” people had left the party down to antisemitism under his leadership.

He said:”Of course I’m sorry people left the party, but I also think the way the issue was used against me was utterly disgraceful.”

Questioned on whether he was suggesting Berger had “ulterior motives” when she left in February 2019 Corbyn accepted  the former Liverpool Wavertree MP was “abused… she was badly treated by some people in the party, which I condemned, at the time, and still do.”

But Corbyn then continued:”But she also, along with other MPs, set up another party and walked out.”

Jewish News has approached Berger for comment.

But a Jewish Labour source suggested:”You would not hear Corbyn’s downplaying any other victim of racism in the same way he has with Luciana.”

In an interview with presenter Lewis Goodall for The News Agents podcast Corbyn was challenged to accept Berger become involved with the short-lived Change UK party “because” of antisemitism in Labour.

But he replied to this by suggested “and one of the founding members (not Berger) make an incredibly racist statement.”

Goodhall replied:”Let’s not do Whataboutism.”

To which Corbyn responded:”Well they did.”

Corbyn also cited his decision to appoint Berger as his shadow mental health minister in 2015 adding “we knew she was politically much more on the right of the party… she knew all that.”

He added:”We got on very well on mental health policy issues, we did events together.

“She did resign in 2016, and I remember the phone call she gave me.

“She said ‘I don’t think I can carry on because of the people resigning in the party, because of the Brexit issue ,and so on.”

Corbyn added:”I said ‘I’m very sorry about that’. We didn’t part on bad terms, even though we disagreed.”

He added we have to be “very clear, antisemitism is an evil.”

Corbyn also condemned remarks made towards him “by journalists” and by “the Archbishop of Canterbury and others towards me.”

He repeated the fact that he considered himself to be a life-long anti-racist.

During the interview Goodhall played Corbyn a clip of presenter David Baddiel suggesting he comes from a tradition that views antisemitism as “a lesser evil than say capitalism. ”

The comedian said he personally would not call Corbyn antisemitic in the same way as rapper Kayne West “hates Jews.”

Baddiel said his theory explained Corbyn’s blindspot to the antisemitic mural in Tower Hamlets, that depicted classic stereotypes of Jewish bankers.

Corbyn said he saw the mural was being removed by the council, and criticised the decision to take it down, insisting he hadn’t looking closely enough at the message of the painting.

In response to the full clip of Baddiel, Corbyn added:”Why does he construct something that is allegedly in the back of my mind?”

He added:”I’ve never actually met him.”

The interview also saw Corbyn suggest that his relationship with current leader Keir Starmer has never been that close.

He said Starmer and himself were “not particularly close” and he had put the current leader in the shadow cabinet because he wanted a mix of “all sections of the Labour Party.”

Corbyn said he was “surprised” to once hear Starmer call him“a colleague and a friend” during the leadership campaign.

He described his continued suspension as a Labour MP as being  “absurd and disgraceful.”