Jeremy Corbyn has launched Labour’s local election campaign by saying the party “will not tolerate any concession to antisemitism or anti-Jewish bigotry in any form”.

During his speech at this morning’s launch, the Labour leader praised the Community Security Trust for its work “in monitoring and combating antisemitic attacks for 30 years.

“Their reporting shows that antisemitism is on the rise, and last year they reported that there were 22 attacks on Jewish schools in the previous year.

“It is a mark of shame on our society that many of our Jewish schools now need security guards.

“The rise in racially-motivated hate crime should alarm us all and reminds us that we can never be complacent.”

Mr Corbyn also said he knew that “the overwhelming majority of [Labour] members are united, determined to root out any antisemitism and to make our party the welcoming movement that it has always been.

“Prejudice and hatred of Jewish people has no place whatsoever in society and every one of us has a responsibility to ensure it is never allowed to fester again.”

Yesterday a large protest against antisemitism in the party was held outside Labour’s headquarters.

Gideon Falter, chair of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), which organised the demonstration, told the crowd his charity had “filed a disciplinary complaint against Jeremy Corbyn” last month and accused Mr Corbyn of making Labour “a safe haven for racists”.