SIR Keir Starmer admitted yesterday was "another painful day for the Jewish community" after Jeremy Corbyn was let back into the Labour Party.
Corbyn was suspended just three weeks ago after he downplayed the anti-Semitism scandal in the party.
In a blistering report last month, the equalities watchdog found that Labour illegally discriminated against Jewish people under Mr Corbyn’s reign.
But the unrepentant leftwinger claimed the scandal had been exaggerated by his political enemies.
Sir Keir faces a mutiny from his own MPs after Labour was accused of "adding insult to injury" by Corbyn.
Labour bosses sitting on a disciplinary panel let him back into the party fold after he issued a grovelling statement to “clarify” his comments.
But Sir Keir Starmer scrambled to try and reassure furious Jewish party members following the controversial decision this evening.
The Labour leader tweeted: “I know that this has been another painful day for the Jewish community and those Labour members who have fought so hard to tackle antisemitism.
“I know the hurt that has been caused and the trauma people have felt.
“Jeremy Corbyn's statement in response to the EHRC report was wrong and completely distracted from a report that identified unlawful conduct in our tackling of racism within the Labour Party. This should shame us all.
“I will not allow a focus on one individual to prevent us from doing the vital work of tackling antisemitism.
“When I stood as leader of the Labour Party, I was clear that my first priority would be to root out antisemitism. It still is.”
The controversial decision sparked a furious response from campaigners.
Gideon Falter, boss of the Campaign Against anti-Semitism fumed: “By readmitting Mr Corbyn, the Labour Party has once again excused anti-Semitism and proved itself unwilling to address it.
“Mr Corbyn’s suspension should have remained in place until all of our complaints against him were investigated, but no investigation has been undertaken.
“Once again, we see the impact of Labour’s failure to implement an independent disciplinary process as demanded by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership pledges that have now gone unfulfilled for almost a year.
“The Jewish community has been conned.
“Mr Corbyn must be resuspended immediately pending investigation of our complaint against him under the new independent process mandated by the EHRC. Britain is watching.”
Karen Pollock, from the Holocaust Education Trust, also tore into the decision.
She said: “What message does this send? “Zero tolerance" either means zero tolerance or it's meaningless.
“The scathing report from the EHRC less than three weeks ago outlined a stream of racism and discrimination by the Labour Party on Jeremy Corbyn’s watch.
“Yet here we are. Once again Corbyn has failed to take responsibility and the Labour Party have let him off the hook."
Mr Corbyn issued a plea to be let back into the party this morning.
The leftwinger said he understands that racism is a problem in the party and backs the bid to kick anti-Semites out.
But he pointedly did not apologise.
He said: “We must never tolerate anti-Semitism or belittle concerns about it.
“And that was not my intention in anything I said this week.
"I regret the pain this issue has caused the Jewish community and would wish to do nothing that would exacerbate or prolong it.
“To be clear, concerns about anti-Semitism are neither ‘exaggerated’ nor ‘overstated’.
“The point I wished to make was that the vast majority of Labour Party members were and remain committed anti-racists deeply opposed to anti-Semitism.”
Board of Deputies of British Jews President Marie van der Zyl, Jewish Leadership Chairman Jonathan Goldstein and Community Security Trust Chief Executive Mark Gardner all slammed the move to let Corbyn back into the party.
In a blistering joint statement, they wrote: “Today’s decision is a retrograde step for the Party in its relations with the Jewish community.
"Jeremy Corbyn’s dismissive approach to the damning EHRC’s findings rightly saw him suspended.
"For Jeremy Corbyn’s allies on the NEC to expedite his case whilst hundreds of other cases languished under his tenure, and his confected non-apology earlier today adds insult to injury.
"This politicisation of the process goes against what the EHRC recommended just last month. Labour’s mountain to climb to win back the trust of our community just got higher."
Fiona Sharpe, spokeswoman for Labour Against Antisemitism, has said: “Even with a moderate majority on the party’s ruling body, the NEC, and a legal obligation to address the anti-Semitism crisis within the party, the Jewish community continues to be ignored.
"We urge the establishment of a fully independent complaints process that will review both this specific case, and all others from 2015 onwards, so that justice for the Jewish community can be done.”
MPs and activists loyal to Mr Corbyn campaigned for him to be reinstated and the former leader thanked them for their support.
Tonight, he wrote on Twitter: "I am pleased to have been reinstated in the Labour Party and would like to thank party members, trade unionists and all who have offered solidarity.
"Our movement must now come together to oppose and defeat this deeply damaging Conservative government."
Mr Corbyn was sensationally suspended from Labour last month in the wake of a damning report laying bare anti-Semitism under his watch.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission found that Labour broke the law by failing to protect Jewish members.
Mr Corbyn furiously lashed the findings and insisted the racism problem has been “overstated” by his political enemies.
Within hours of his explosive comments Sir Keir suspended the leftie from the party.
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