THE Labour Party is bracing itself for the result of a human rights investigation into how it has handled the anti-Semitism crisis that has rocked the party.

The much-anticipated release of a report into the situation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is likely to cause more turmoil in the party’s ranks.

The report, set to be released at 10am, comes after years of complaints over how allegations of anti-Semitism were dealt with under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

The human rights body launched its probe in May 2019 and has looked at the party’s disciplinary processes and response to complaints.

Complaints of anti-Semitism kicked off in the party not longer after Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of Labour, and then was thrust into the spotlight in 2016, when Bradford West MP Naz Shah's old Facebook post from 2014 - which suggested the state of Israel be moved to the USA to solve its conflict with Palestine - was found.

On the eve of its release, former Labour foreign secretary David Miliband said that the way Mr Corbyn dealt with the situation was “appalling” and described the period as a “dreadful, dark, shameful period”.

He said: “I’m not going to claim I know what’s in Jeremy Corbyn’s heart.

“What I’m clear about is that he failed to deal with this issue in a way that was appalling in all its aspects.

“Whether it be cartoons or statements, they reflected a complete blindness to the issue and to the importance of it.

“It’s a dreadful, dark, shameful period and the failure to be clear, the failure to be decisive, the failure to say that anyone who is an anti-Semite isn’t welcome in the Labour Party, the failure to clear that out is a source of shame for me as someone who’s still a member of the Labour Party.”

Sir Keir Starmer, who replaced Mr Corbyn as Labour leader in April, has said tackling the issue of anti-Semitism and rebuilding trust with the Jewish community is a top priority for him.