INTERVIEW: Badenoch backs immigration crackdown to help fight against antisemitism

Kemi Badenoch has told Jewish News tougher immigration rules would help to tackle rampant antisemitism, saying people are entering the UK from “cultures where there is a history of hatred against Jews”.

The Tory leader also rejected suggestions that she is more tolerant of some faith communities than others as she visited Stamford Hill’s strictly- Orthodox community.

In a visit arranged prior to Monday’s devastating arson attack on the Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green, the Tory leader told Jewish News: “We need to do something about people coming into our country from different cultures where there is a history of hatred against Jews.

“This is one reason why we have already toughened up our immigration policy, saying that we will leave the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights).

“We need to look at every single cause, not just the symptoms, and if we address that, then we’ll be able to deal with antisemitism.”

In a wide-ranging interview, Badenoch rejected suggestions she is more tolerant of some faith communities in this country  than with others.

“I am as tolerant of every community as long as it is sticking within the parameters that I call British values,” she insisted.

“Where I do think the people are out of line, or where I think that there are activities that are harmful, I will speak out.

“It doesn’t matter which community it is, whether it’s the Jewish community or the Sikh or Islamic community; it is about the values. You start with the principles first.”

After visiting the local Egerton Road Synagogue, Badenoch spent time talking with Hatzola volunteers based in Stamford Hill, as well as inspecting some of the ambulances ready to go out on emergency calls.

She said she was “disgusted” by the attack in Golders Green, and wished to “show solidarity with the Jewish community” while also wanting to understand more about what the Charedi community is experiencing.

“We are seeing a huge rise in crimes against Jewish people — not just what we saw yesterday,” she said. “We remember in Manchester, two people murdered in a synagogue.

“We’re seeing a rise in attacks on Jewish businesses, even businesses that are not necessarily tied to Israel, where Gail’s bakery is being attacked.

“The Conservative Party says no to this. We need to be able to show that we can protect Jewish communities that have had a sanctuary in Britain for centuries.”

Jewish News asked the Tory leader what she might do differently to counter this surge in antisemitic hatred, noting that the problem in reality was a global one.

“You were right to say that it is a global problem, but we never used to have that problem here,” she argued. “The problem was in other places. We saw Jews driven out of many other countries. Britain was always a sanctuary. And that is changing, and we need to look at why it is changing.”

She added, “I see a lot of misinformation about Jewish people. I see a lot of misinformation about Israel — we need to start looking at where that’s coming from, and tackle that.

“Even the BBC — we saw that Panorama interview and the controversy around that — they can do better. I think there should be sanctions.

“Where we see people sharing information promoting violence or hatred towards Jews, in particular in the public sector where the government has more control, we need to act.

“I’ve heard stories about medical staff in the NHS refusing to treat Jewish people. We should not put up with that.”

The Conservative leader also said we needed to put a focus on “who is coming into our country.”

She continued: “If people are coming in from places with a culture of antisemitism and Jewish hate, we need to restrict that. This is one of the reasons why I’ve toughened up our immigration policy. Leaving the ECHR will be a difficult thing to do, but we need to make sure that Britain stays a place where people can live without being attacked in this way.”

She said the Government needed to “move beyond words to action” in its efforts to stamp out antisemitism after an attack on four Jewish community ambulances in north-west London on Monday.

Counter-terror police continue to investigate whether a suspected Iran-backed group was behind the incident in Golders Green.

The Metropolitan Police will deploy an extra 264 officers and specialist teams including firearms, the mounted branch and drones to boost security for Jewish communities in the wake of the attack and the run-up to Passover next month.

“I think the Government needs to move beyond words to action. We are seeing an increase in attacks on the Jewish people, the Jewish community, Jewish businesses, and it is not enough just to offer to step up security,” she added.

“That’s barely the first step. What I want to see is sanctions against people who are inciting violence against Jewish people, inciting hatred against Jewish people.

“In the public sector in particular where the Government does have levers… You know, I’ve heard stories about medical staff refusing to treat Jewish people. They should lose their jobs.”

She added: “But we also need to do something about people coming into our country from different cultures where there is a history of hatred against Jews.

“We need to look at every single cause, not just the symptoms, and if we address that, then we’ll be able to deal with antisemitism.”

Badenoch also said she believes anti-Zionism is being used as “a cover for antisemitism.”

“I remember in 2017 when the Labour Party was investigated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission — there was a lot of misinformation about Jewish people,” she said.

“We see it on the news. We’ve also seen people who come from countries where attacks against Jewish people are perhaps allowed. They are here now. We need to tackle that in a much stronger way than we have done.”

She also repeated her concern about the continuation of what she called “hate marches” on Britain’s streets.

“After October 7, we saw a huge rise in attacks on Jewish people.

“We saw marches, which initially were allowed. Now we see them as a powerful intimidation against Jewish people. We should look to ban those sorts of marches.

“Anything to do with inciting violence — in the public sector in particular — where people are seen to share information that incites violence and attacks against Jews….we need to get a lot more serious.”

Asked about the ongoing conflict with Iran, Badenoch continued to defend her party’s stance against claims that she would have wrongly rushed into war alongside the US and Israel.

She also said she feared some people were not aware of just what a threat the Iranian regime posed to this country.

“A lot of people don’t know how bad it is, and how long we have been dealing with this,” she said.

“MI5 has spoken about multiple terrorist plots sponsored by the Iranian regime. We saw a few weeks ago that people from Iran were arrested for spying, specifically on Jewish communities.

“But they’re not the only ones under threat. We’ve seen Iran fire missiles at sovereign British territory in Cyprus, where we have bases with British servicemen and women. We should be very worried about what this regime does to its own people, and about its sponsoring of terrorism around the world.

“There’s Hezbollah, Hamas — all Iran-sponsored. It’s a huge threat to the UK, and we should all be alive to that and make sure that we do everything we can.”

She also dismissed claims she could not be trusted over a pledge to proscribe Iran’s IRGC state terror force if she became PM, having been part of a government that failed to do so over a 14-year period.

“I haven’t led a government in this country yet,” she hit back. “The party is under new leadership.

“And I think people know that personally, I’ve been very, very supportive — locally supportive — of the Jewish community, in fact, long before I became an MP, so people can see what I will do based on previous actions.

“When I was the Secretary of State for Trade, I did a lot to make sure that we had a free trade agreement with Israel. I had my department attacked by protesters.

“I do think that there is more that we can do around the IRGC. There are laws in place, like the National Security Act, that allow us to do things. But I’ve already offered Keir Starmer to work with him so that we can look at proscribing.”

Asked what promises she had made the Strictly Orthodox community leaders during Tuesday’s visit, Badenoch was typically forthright. “I’ve not made any promises,” she said.

“I’m actually here to talk to them, to gain more understanding. I gave a speech not that long ago about assimilation and integration.

“I think we need to start looking at our society now — it is 2026, not 1926.

“What does it look like when we have multi-faith communities? How can we make sure that we are integrated properly? Where does the line between the freedom to practise your religion stop versus the freedom for others to continue in the way that they practise their values and their culture?

“This is what my culture and integration commission is all about. It is about learning and making sure that we can have a cohesive society.”