Weak on anti-Semitism

During a television interview with Andrew Neil during the election campaign, Corbyn refused to apologise to the Jewish community for his inability to deal with anti-Semitism in the party. The same day, Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis warned of “a new poison—sanctioned from the very top” taking root in the Labour party. ^[1] Although Corbyn apologised a week later, it was too little too late. The damage had been done and Corbyn had been exposed as a remorseless enabler of anti-Semitism. Corbyn’s image as a leader relied on his claims of moral authority. As a result, the incident severely undermined his election campaign. Corbyn and the Labour party worked tirelessly to demonstrate that Johnson was a morally bankrupt liar and cynic. But the anti-Semitism episode indicated a moral vulnerability within the Labour leadership as well, blunting many of his pre-election attacks on the Conservatives. This was a major blow to his election prospects and cost Labour dearly at the ballot box. ^[2]

[P1] Corbyn failed to get a handle on anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. [P2] This was a significant factor in its defeat in the 2019 UK Election.