Communities secretary reveals government launching antisemitism action plan ‘within days’
Steve Reed and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper address JLM Chanukah reception
Communities secretary Steve Reed has revealed the government will unveil an “antisemitism action plan within days,” pledging to “leave no stone unturned” in combating the rise in Jew hate across the UK.
Speaking at the Jewish Labour Movement’s Chanukah reception, held at a London synagogue, Reed outlined the scope of the forthcoming strategy.
He emphasised that the government’s plan was aimed at tackling antisemitism in all areas of public life, stating, “Whether it’s in our universities, in our schools, whether it’s marches and the appalling things that are said and written on banners, and the places where people think it is appropriate to go to intimidate people simply because of their faith, institutions such as broadcasters, it will no longer be tolerated.”
Reed shared his personal reaction to last weekend’s massacre at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, describing himself as “horrified” and recounting how he lit a candle at home in memory of the victims and as a gesture of solidarity with the Jewish community.
“I know we need to go beyond mourning the loss and the dead, and we need to act,” Reed told the audience to applause.
“What happened wasn’t just an attack on the Jewish community; it was an attack on all of us because it seeks to assault freedom itself and the kind of society that we want to live in.”
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also addressed the packed gathering, noting the global dimension of antisemitism.
“In my current role, I do not doubt that effectively tackling antisemitism is a global challenge,” she said.
Cooper said she recognised the “weight of what happened” in Sydney, adding, “Once again, Jews were killed for being Jews in the 21st century.”
She further remarked, “I don’t underestimate the pain and grief and also the impact it has on our Jewish community here, and on communities across the world also.”
Cooper pledged to work with international counterparts to combat antisemitism worldwide.
Rabbi Charley Baginsky, co-lead of Progressive Judaism, delivered a poignant reflection on the significance of Chanukah in the wake of another attack against Jews.
She noted that Jewish history is “marked by moments when celebration was interrupted, when belonging was questioned, when safety was conditional—that memory lives close to the surface.”
“It’s why antisemitism is never experienced as just another form of prejudice—it carries echoes that run deep and long,” she added.
But, Baginsky also said, Chanukah “is not a story of disappearance.”
“It is a story of continuity, and so we stand in the present with clarity,” she added.
Emphasising the importance of both physical protection and societal cohesion, Rabbi Baginsky asserted, “Security for Jewish communities matters. Physical protection, policing, and funding for it all matter.
“But Jewish security cannot rest only on walls, gates, or guards. A society in which Jews are safe behind barriers is not a healthy, safe, or cohesive society.”
She concluded, “Security also depends on something harder and demanding. It depends on political leadership that names antisemitism without hesitation or qualification.
“It depends on public discourse that does not normalize or excuse hatred, and it depends on relationships across communities that are strong enough to hold this argument without allowing it to turn into dehumanisation.”
The event, attended by senior Labour figures including General Secretary Hollie Ridley, also saw JLM chairs Ella Rose-Jacobs and Rebbeca Filer deliver well-received speeches with a shared call for unity and decisive action during testing times.
Barnet Labour councillor Rose-Jacobs also led the audience in singing Moaz Tsur.
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