Corbyn criticised for Passover meeting
Jeremy Corbyn risked further souring his relationship with the Jewish community by attending an event with a left-wing group believed to be anti-Israel.
Corbyn spent Monday evening at a ritual feast hosted by Jewdas, a group which described Israel in December as a "steaming pile of sewage which needs to be properly disposed of".
The group also said that protests against Corbyn for failing to tackle anti-Semitism are "faux-outrage greased with hypocrisy and opportunism".
A spokesman for Corbyn, a supporter of Palestinian rights and a critic of Israel, said he attended an event in his constituency in a personal capacity and not in his official role as Labour leader.
"He wrote to the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council last week to ask for an urgent formal meeting to discuss tackling anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and in society," the spokesman said.
Jewdas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some opinions polls put Corbyn's Labour Party ahead or level with Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives, meaning he is being taken seriously as a potential next British leader, although the next election is not due until 2022.
Since unexpectedly becoming Labour leader in 2015 after decades spent on the left-wing fringes of the party, Corbyn has repeatedly faced accusations of turning a blind eye to anti-Semitic comments in the party and among groups he supports.
Corbyn has said there is no place for anti-Semitism in the party and that Labour will investigate any cases of suspected racism.
Last week, British Jewish groups protested against Corbyn outside parliament accusing the Labour leader for failing to tackle anti-Semitism within Labour ranks.
The issue flared up again two weeks ago after it came to light that in 2012 Corbyn questioned a decision by London local authorities to remove a street mural.
Published: by Radio NewsHub