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Jeremy Corbyn has declined to apologize to the UK Jewish community after the chief rabbi criticized how the party deals with anti-Semitism claims.
In a BBC interview with Andrew Neil, the Labor leader was asked four times whether he would like to apologize.
Mr Corbyn said his government will protect “every community against the abuse they receive”.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis claimed “a new poison – sanctioned from the very top –has taken root” in Labor.
Labor has been beset by allegations of anti-Semitism for more than three years, leading to the suspension of a number of high-profile figures such as Ken Livingstone and Chris Williamson, and an unprecedented investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
In an interview with Andrew Neil on BBC One, Mr Corbyn is asked four times whether he was going to apologise to the British Jewish community following the chief rabbi’s claim that Labor was not doing enough to root out anti-Jewish racism.
‘Stronger processes’
Mr Corbyn replied: “What I’ll say is this I am determined that our society is safe for people of all faiths.
” I don’t want anyone to be feeling insecure , in our society and our government will protect every community against the abuse they receive on the streets, on the trains, or in any other form of life. “
Mr Corbyn said racism “is a total poison”, adding: “I want to work with every community, to make sure it’s eliminated. That is what my whole life has been about. “
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Rabbi Mirvis described Mr Corbyn’s claim that Labor had “investigated every single case” of alleged anti-Semitism as a “mendacious fiction”.
Challenged about the rabbi’s comment, Mr Corbyn said: “No, he’s not right. Because he would have to produce the evidence to say that’s mendacious. “
The Labor leader said he was” looking forward to having a discussion with him because I want to hear why he would say such a thing “.
Mr Corbyn also insisted he had” developed a much stronger process “for dealing with allegations and had sanctioned and removed members who were judged to have made anti-Semitic statements .
He added that anti-Semitism allegations “didn’t rise after I became leader”.
“Anti-Semitism is there in society, there are a ve ry, very small number of people in the Labor Party that have been sanctioned as a result about their anti-Semitic behavior, “he told Andrew Neil.
‘Honest broker’
Mr Corbyn was also quizzed about his plan to get a “credible” Brexit deal with the EU and then be neutral in the referendum on the deal he has promised to hold within six months of taking power.
Asked what he would do during the referendum campaign, he said: “I will be the honest broker that will make sure the referendum is fair and make sure that the Leave deal is a credible one.
“That seems to me actually an adult and sensible way to go forward. “
Mr Corbyn was also quizzed about Labor’s plan to increase income tax on those earning more £ 85, 000 a year to pay for better public services.
He denied many of these people would leave the country under a Labor governm ent, destroying the tax base the party would rely on to fund its plans.
But he said they “could and should” pay more.
“They can see all around them the crumbling of public services and the terrible levels of child poverty that exist across Britain.
” There is no reason why they would have to leave the country and they shouldn’t. “
Mr Corbyn also said a Labor government would not borrow money” willy-nilly “.
“What we are going to do is deal with the worst aspects of what’s happened in austerity, the worst aspects of poverty in Britain,” he said.
On Labor’s policy to compensate some of the women who lost out as a result of changes to the pension age, Mr Corbyn said the women were “short-changed” and a “moral debt “was owed.
The campaign for compensation has been led by the group Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi).
Labor says the policy would cost about £ 58 bn, paid in instalments
When pressed on where this money would come from, Mr Corbyn said it will be paid from government reserves and, if necessary, borrowing, “over some years”.
He conceded that there were not sufficient funds in the government reserves to cover the bill, but insisted the women deserved to be repaid.
“We will make sure they are compensated,” he said.
Andrew Neilwill be speaking to other party leadersduring the election campaign.
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