Councillors in Harrow and Brent have called for Jeremy Corbyn to be reinstated to the Labour Party after he was suspended following his response to a report on antisemitism during his time as leader.

Members of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour Councillors, which counts Harrow councillor Pamela Fitzpatrick and Brent Council representative Cllr Jumbo Chan among its founders, issued a statement following Mr Corbyn’s suspension.

It read: “Jeremy Corbyn is a lifelong anti-racist campaigner who for decades has consistently offered – even when many others have too often stayed silent – his full and complete solidarity to ordinary working people in all their diversity.

“Jeremy Corbyn embodies the anti-racist struggle, and we are appalled that he has been suspended from the Labour Party. We call for him to be reinstated.”

Mr Corbyn was suspended yesterday (October 29) after he issued a statement in response to the publication of an Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report.

The report found that, under Mr Corbyn’s leadership, Labour was responsible for “unlawful acts” and “at best, did not do enough to prevent antisemitism and, at worst, could be seen to accept it”.

While some criticised its decision, other councillors have welcomed its wider response following the EHRC’s findings.

Harrow councillor Michael Borio tweeted “resign Jeremy” following the publication of the report, while his colleague, Cllr Sachin Shah, wrote: “The last five years have been awful.

“I stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and welcome the actions [Labour leader] Keir [Starmer] and others have taken.

“It will take time to rebuild the trust of the community we have failed, but this report and the party’s actions are the first step on that long journey.”

Posting on social media, Mr Corbyn said: “One antisemite is one too many, but the scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media.

“That combination hurt Jewish people and must never be repeated.

“My sincere hope is that relations with Jewish communities can be rebuilt and those fears overcome.

“While I do not accept all of its findings, I trust its recommendations will be swiftly implemented to help move on from this period.”

Labour suspended Mr Corbyn “in light of [these] comments and his failure to retract them subsequently” and will conduct further investigations.