Sir Keir Starmer has called Labour MP Dame Louise Ellman's decision to quit the party over its response to antisemitism a “really low moment”.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr show on Sunday, the shadow Brexit secretary said: “I think it’s a really low moment, a really low moment and what I want to do is to redouble our efforts to make sure that Louise and others feel that Labour is a party that they can return to.

“We’ve already done a lot of work on this; we need to do more, but the end destination for me is a Labour party where those that have left because of this issue feel that they can return. That will be the judgement for me, that will be the test, of whether we’ve succeeded [dealing with antisemitism].”

However, he said he did not accept that Jeremy Corbyn was a danger to the Labour party and the UK Jewish community, as Dame Louise wrote in her resignation letter, but he added that he did accept that as a party they had to “root out” Jew-hate.

Dame Louise quit the party on Wednesday, blaming party leader Mr Corbyn for allowing antisemitism to become “mainstream” in the party.

In a statement, the Jewish MP said that Mr Corbyn is “not fit to serve as our Prime Minister.”

Describing the decision to quit the party she joined 55 years ago as “truly agonising", the 73-year-old wrote: “Jewish members have been bullied, abused and driven out.”

She added: “A party that permits anti-Jewish racism to flourish cannot be called anti-racist.”

Speaking to the JC after resigning, she said her advocacy for Israel had provided antisemities in the party something to “focus” their attacks on.