John McDonnell has said he will remain president of the far-left Labour Representation Committee (LRC), which has dismissed allegations of Labour antisemitism as "propaganda" used by the "ruling class" to attack Jeremy Corbyn.

The shadow chancellor was challenged by Andrew Marr on the broadcaster's Sunday show, in which Mr McDonnell was reminded he had said he would do "anything the Jewish community asked you to do".

But when Mr Marr raised the question of whether he would give up his honorary presidency of the LRC, Mr McDonnell said: "I'm working within the Labour Representation Committee to challenge those issues. I think I can turn [it] around on those issues... There's a debate going on."

In March, the Board of Deputies called on Mr McDonnell to quit the LRC, saying it had “repeatedly defended and campaigned for individuals…denying the problem of antisemitism” in the party.

The Board also noted it also defended expelled member Tony Greenstein and Chris Williamson, who was then a suspended MP.

In February, Mr McDonnell attended the LRC conference, where he listened sympathetically to a discussion on the case of Jackie Walker - the Labour activist who claimed to be the victim of a "political lynching" when she was suspended over her comments about Holocaust Memorial Day and Jews' role in the slave trade.

At the conference, Mr McDonnell said he would "take up" her case with Jeremy Corbyn and General Secretary Jennie Formby. Ms Walker was later expelled from Labour.

On Sunday, Mr Marr asked Mr McDonnell if he felt his party's antisemitism crisis had hurt Labour at this election.

"I worry that this has had an effect," Mr McDonell said. "We've done everything I think we can possible do. We've apologised to the Jewish community."