Morgan and Carswell set for Jewish News EU debate

Education secretary Nicky Morgan and UKIP’s MP Douglas Carswell will face off in a live Jewish News-J-TV debate on the future of Britain’s involvement in the European Union.

Just over a week before the country faces one of its biggest decisions for decades, these two leading figures from opposing sides of the debate will put the case for ‘Remain’ and ‘Leave’ in front of an audience of 200 community members.

The 14 June event is organised by this newspaper in partnership with J-TV, the new online TV channel and will take place in east London. 

The event will focus on issues of specific concern to Anglo-Jewry including circumcision, shechita and Israel as well as issues of wider interest including the potential impact of Brexit on the economy, the jobs market and immigration. J-TV’s current affairs presenter Alan Mendoza will chair an audience question-and-answer session.

Tickets are available by going to this address: https://ow.ly/e0uj300OvY7

Polls have consistently shown a lead of up to 10 points for Remain but recent stats suggest this lead is narrowing, with one ICM poll released yesterday showing a narrow lead for Leave. Morgan told Jewish News: “The stakes for the future of our country in the referendum couldn’t be higher. That’s why I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to set out in this debate precisely why we are stronger, safer and better off remaining part of a reformed Europe.”

Writing in Jewish News in March, minister without portfolio Robert Halfon said he would be thinking of the “ever increasing threats to our security in the UK, the continued existential threat to Israel and whether the world will be strong enough to combat extremist Islam” when he votes to stay in the “imperfect union”.

Putting the case to leave, fellow cabinet minister Theresa Villliers wrote there is “no reason why security cooperation cannot continue between the UK and EU countries after a vote to leave. It is perfectly possible to make such arrangements without subjecting ourselves to the requirements of EU membership”. She also pointed to EU’s record of criticising Israel.

The event comes two months after the Jewish News co-hosted a hustings for the London mayoral race.

Tickets are available by going to the following address: https://ow.ly/e0uj300OvY7