The Board of Deputies would “lose all our power” by ending engagement with Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party, President Marie van der Zyl has insisted.

Addressing Sunday’s October Plenary Meeting, she said that, by continuing to maintain relations with Labour, the Board would not be forced into making concessions on antisemitism within the party.

Mrs van der Zyl was backed over her position on Mr Corbyn’s party by Dame Louise Ellman, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, who stood up to speak at Sunday's meeting in central London.

The president made her comments after a Manchester-based lawyer and deputy urged the Board to “terminate contact” with the Labour leader.

Mrs van der Zyl said: "If the Board were to stop engaging with Labour, we would lose all our power.

“Suspending relations with the party may create headlines but it would get us nowhere and leave us no wriggle room.

“I have always said that engagement does not mean concessions.

She added that to "walk away from the party", would be to "hang out to dry those fighting the good fight", naming Labour MPs Luciana Berger, Dame Louise Ellman, Ian Austin and Dame Margaret Hodge, who have all called out their leadership on its handling of the antisemitism crisis.

Dame Louise then stood to say the Board had played an "important part” in making Labour face up to the on-going issue.

The MP added the Board had been “clear and resolute”. She continued: @We must be resolute in our opposition to Labour’s shameful antisemitism.”

In her opening address to the meeting, Mrs van der Zyl also issued a clear argument against the recent spate of “divisive" motions submitted by Deputies - such as the recent move to push for a no confidence vote against a Board vice president for criticising Israel’s controversial Nation State law.

She told the meeting that the Board must “represent and welcome huge diversity off opinion - but we handle it through negotiation, discussion and debate.”

Mrs van der Zyl added: "Now is a time for unity and not the time to be divided.

“Let us focus on what we have in common - because our strength is in our diversity."

Her comments were met with a round of applause from most of the Deputies present.