Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he wants to “draw a line” under anti-Semitism in the party.

The comments came after Labour said it will pay “substantial damages” to whistleblowers who contributed to a TV expose of its handling of anti-Semitism.

Sir Keir said: “I want to draw a line under anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.

“I made it clear that we would draw a line under anti-Semitism. Settling this case was important in that respect.

“It was the right decision, the right thing to do.”

The decision to pay damages sparked a spat between Sir Keir and his predecessor as party leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Corbyn said on Wednesday it was “disappointing” the party had settled the claim, claiming it was a “political decision, not a legal one”.

Seven former employees from the party’s governance and legal unit, who were responsible for the investigation of allegations of misconduct by party members, sued Labour after it issued a press release describing them as having “personal and political axes to grind”.

The legal action followed the broadcast in July 2019 of a BBC Panorama programme titled Is Labour Anti-Semitic?.