Jeremy Corbyn has said sorry for the hurt caused by anti-Semitism in the Labour Party , in a video message.
The Labour leader told supporters that people who deny anti-Semitism exists in the party are wrong, and part of the problem.
But he did not commit to Labour accepting the full IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, a major sticking point in the row.
He said: I’m sorry for the hurt that has been caused to many Jewish people. We have been too slow in processing disciplinary cases of mostly online ant-Semitic abuse by Party members.
People who hold anti-Semitic views have no place in the Labour Party. They may be few: the number of cases over the past three years represents less than 0.1% of Labour membership of half a million. But one is too many.
Our party must never be a home for such people and never will be.
People who use anti-Semitic poison need to understand: You do not do it in my name, or the name of my Party.
But he accepted a problem does exist, and that anti-Semitism had surfaced in the party sending a firm message to supporters who have denied it.
He said: Anyone who denies that this has surfaced within our Party is clearly actually wrong and contributing to the problem.
He added: I acknowledge there is a real problem of anti-Semitism that Labour is working to overcome.
This morning, Deputy Leader Tom Watson warned Labour faces being lost in a vortex of eternal shame unless it deals with concerns over anti-Semitism in the party.
In a stark message, Mr Watson said Labour had to take a long, hard look at ourselves and demanded immediate action to end tensions, including fully adopting an international definition of anti-Semitism which the party’s ruling body has so far resisted.
And the Jewish Leadership Council and Board of Deputies rejected Jeremy Corbyn’s attempt to calm tensions with a newspaper article published on Friday.
They accused the Labour leader of ideological hostility to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism and its 11 examples.
Mr Corbyn has said that seven of the examples have been fully adopted in Labour’s code of conduct, with “the essence of the other four captured in the document.
It is unfortunately the case that this particular example, dealing with Israel and racism, has sometimes been used by those wanting to restrict criticism of Israel that is not anti-Semitic he claimed.
But in a joint statement following his comments a response delayed because the Labour leader’s ill-timed and ill-conceived Guardian article was published on Friday night as Jews observed the Sabbath the Jewish Leadership Council and Board of Deputies criticised his approach.
They claimed the abuse suffered by their community whether you call this anti-Semitic or not had resulted in Jews and those who support them. being purged out of the party.
Above all, however, Mr Corbyn’s ideological hostility to the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism epitomises the enduring problem.
As can be plainly seen, the code alters and relegates four parts that say it may be anti-Semitic to: 1. Accuse Jews of disloyalty, 2. Compare Israel to Nazi Germany, 3. Hold Israel to unique standards and 4. Call a Jewish State racist.
It is quite obvious why Jeremy Corbyn and Labour communications chief Seumas Milne are so anxious to diminish these parts of the IHRA definition.
They added that actions are the only thing that have ever mattered but claimed Mr Corbyn was merely restating words he had already used.