Lord Peter Mandelson has accused Len McCluskey and other allies of Jeremy Corbyn of “misrepresenting” the argument over the former Labour leader’s suspension from the party.

Speaking on  Radio 4’s World At One programme, the Labour peer praised Sir Keir Starmer’s stance over antisemitism, saying he had “showed great strength of character” and “some backbone” over supporting the decision of general secretary David Evans to suspend Mr Corbyn.

But Lord Mandelson dismissed comparisons with the time in the 1980s when then leader Neil Kinnock took on the Militant Tendency “entryists” in the party.

“Len McCluskey and some of Jeremy’s supporters are misrepresenting what this is all about,” he said.

“This is not about a left/right disagreement… it’s about the values of what the Labour Party is about, not about policy.”

The peer went on that he did not believe Mr Corbyn could be compared with the Militant activists who were expelled from the party under Mr Kinnock.

“Jeremy is far-left but he has been in the Labour Party all his life,” he said. “He is not an entryist.  The issue with antisemitism is something more fundamental.

“It is about the values of what Labour is.”

Lord Mandelson suggested Sir Keir had “telephoned” Mr Corbyn on the eve of Thursday’s EHRC report and had warned him not to turn the response into “some kind of factional” battle.

Mr Corbyn’s subsequent response to the report proved he was “still in denial” over antisemitism, the peer added.

He observed that after 2015, “anti-Jewish racism became a terrible scar on the party… pushed by people who really had no place” in Labour.

It had been allowed to spread and he accused Mr Corbyn and his allies of failing to stamp it out.

Lord Mandelson was also asked to respond to comments made about him by Unite’s Mr McCluskey, in which the union chief said he should go and “count his gold”

He said the remarks “certainly sounded and looked antisemitic”.

But he added: “Len McCluskey denied that’s what he meant and has withdrawn what he said. We can park that for the time being.”