Ex-Tory minister condemns ‘deeply offensive’ language at National Conservatism event
Andrew Percy MP - vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on antisemitism - warns 'We have not gone through very painful years of anti-Jewish hate on the left of politics to see that replaced by antisemitism on the mainstream right of politics'
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
A former Conservative minister and vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on antisemitism has launched an outspoken attack on speeches made at last week’s controversial National Conservatism conference “which either minimise the Holocaust or which are used by others as a cover for more sinister antisemitic tropes.”
Andrew Percy MP, the MP for Brigg and Goole, who is himself Jewish, was asked by Jewish News for his response to speeches by the MP Miriam Cates, the political commentator Douglas Murray, the historian David Starkey and American think-tanker Kevin Roberts at the three day conference in London last week.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak distanced himself for the views expressed by some at the conference, but refused to condemn cabinet ministers Suella Braverman and Michael Gove for speaking at the event along with deputy party chair Lee Anderson.
Percy had been abroad for work commitments when the conference took place, but after being shown examples of three speeches that were at the centre of criticism, he said:”There were some worrying examples from the National Conservatism event of language which ranges from the sloppy to the deeply offensive.”
“It is not appropriate for any colleague in the Conservative family to use language and phrases which either minimise the Holocaust or which are used by others as a cover for more sinister antisemitic tropes.
“We have not gone through very painful years of anti-Jewish hate on the left of politics to see that replaced by antisemitism on the mainstream right of politics.”
Asked for his opinion of the speech which opened the conference from the MP Miriam Cates, Percy, an ex-Northern Powerhouse minister, confirmed his own role in the appg on antisemitism warning MPs to steer clear of using the term “cultural Marxism” because of its connection to far-right antisemitic tropes.
Cates had, within minutes of beginning her speech, suggested “cultural Marxism” was “destroying the souls” of young children in this country.
He told Jewish News:” I have repeatedly warned Conservative MPs of the use of what, at best, can be described as ‘sloppy’ language such as ‘cultural marxism’ which perhaps is not properly understood.
“There is no excuse for MPs to continue to use this language and it demonstrates why the Conservative Party, and all parties, must provide proper education and training to MPs and candidates on antisemitism.”
Shown an extract of the speech made by commentator Douglas Murray, who had attempted to suggest nationalism in the UK and Israel should not be tainted by the fact that Germany “mucked up twice” in the last century, Percy was again critical.
“To be absolutely clear, Germany did not ‘muck up’ in World War Two, they engaged in the state sponsored murder of six million Jews,” he said. “This was not an ‘error’ or a ‘muck up’, it was the consequence of centuries of antisemitic hate which resulted in the near extermination of European Jewry. ”
Percy was also shown extracts of the speech given by US think tanker Kevin Roberts, who again seized on language used by the far-right as he repeatedly blamed “globalists” on twelve occasions for the problems in the world today.
“We are seeing a rise of conspiracy theories across the political spectrum and you do not have to scratch much beneath the surface of these to find many of them are rooted in antisemitism,” said Percy.
“From vaccine denial and Covid conspiracies to nonsense theories about the World Economic Forum, Jew hate is often at the centre of those who push these conspiracies.”
The National Conservatism conference was widely criticised with one senior communal figure, who asked to remain anonymous telling Jewish News:”It reminds me of what happened with Labour as they drifted further left under Corbyn with Momentum.
“It seems like some Tories, fearing defeat at the next election, think their party should move further to the right through groups like National Conservatism. It should concern all in the community.”
Historian David Starkey was accused of attempting drive a wedge between the Jewish and Black communities with an inflammatory speech in which he suggested “the left” were attempting to replace remembrance of the Holocaust with slavery.
But defenders of the event point to the fact the chair of the Nat Con conference is the American-Israel theologian Yoram Hazony, whose Edmund Burke Foundation has been linked with right-wing Zionist ideas,
In his speech at the conference he claimed “woke Marxism” was destroying society, and called for a return of military service. In an interview with the Jewish Chronicle Hazony claimed National Conservatism would become the “dominant strain” of thinking in the Tory Party within a few years.
The JC claimed the “left-wing media” was behind “ludicrous” allegations of antisemitism at last week’s conference.
After the MP Cates was criticised for using the term “cultural Marxism”, Hazony told Jewish News:”Hazony, one of the organisers of the Nat Con conference, later told Jewish News:”I deplore this attempt to smear a friend of the Jews such as Miriam Cates with the utterly preposterous accusation of antisemitism.
“The term ‘cultural Marxism is an apt phrase to describe the cultural agenda promoted by many on the left today. The Edmund Burke Foundation offers no platform to antisemites. We are proud to number Cates among our friends and speakers.”
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