(JTA) — Labour apologized and offered damages to former employees who sued the British party for libel after being maligned by officials for talking about its anti-Semitism problem in the media.

The apology, offered Wednesday at a High Court hearing in the suit filed by the seven ex-staffers in 2019, is part of a policy reversal under the party’s newly elected leader, Keir Starmer.

His predecessor, the far-left politician Jeremy Corbyn, had insisted that Labour was dealing correctly with instances of anti-Semitism by individual members and consistently dismissed allegations that the problem was allowed to poison the party and make it institutionally anti-Semitic. Starmer has acknowledged and apologized for anti-Semitism in the party.

Antisemitism Notebook

Your weekly guide through the news and the noise of how rising antisemitism and disputes over how to address it are shaping American Jewish life.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

A Labour spokesperson in 2019 called the ex-staffers, who spoke with the BBC on anti-Semitism within Labour, “disaffected former officials” who “include those who have always opposed Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, worked to actively to undermine it” with “personal and political axes to grind.”

The ex-staffers sued for libel, resulting in the apology and undisclosed damage settlements.

“We would like to take this opportunity to withdraw these allegations,” a Labour spokesperson said in a statement about the settlement. “We would like to apologize unreservedly for the distress, embarrassment and hurt caused by their publication.”

The party has also apologized and agreed to pay damages to the journalist who presented the BBC investigation, John Ware, for falsely accusing him of “deliberate and malicious misrepresentations designed to mislead the public.”

The post British Labour Party apologizes for defaming ex-staffers who spoke out on anti-Semitism appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount