This is a big moment for Keir Starmer – which may prove a milestone on Labour’s long road back to power

Whether they like it or not, all leaders are defined to some extent by their relationship with their party, writes Andrew Grice

Keir Starmer faces a test from some in his party (Getty)

Since Keir Starmer became Labour leader in April, a “will he, won’t he?” debate has rumbled inside the party over whether he would discipline his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, when the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) inquiry into antisemitism was published. The consensus was that he would not.

Now we have a different answer. Starmer has taken a right fork in the road and there can be no turning back. Yet the drama did not unfold in the way that Labour figures had expected. The EHRC report did not blame individuals. It was Corbyn’s response that gave Starmer and Labour no choice.

Starmer had told his predecessor on the eve of the report that no Labour figures should play down the EHRC’s verdict. Yet Corbyn did just that in a typically unrepentant statement, insisting the scale of the problem had been “dramatically overstated” by his internal opponents and the media.