Keir Starmer and the Jewish community: complex relationship in time of turmoil

Departing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s relationship with the UK’s Jewish community has been complex and, at times, difficult to assess.

In many ways, this mirrored his increasingly fraught relationship with the wider UK electorate, yet it was further complicated by his response to Israel and the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

When Starmer became Labour leader in 2020, Jewish communal leaders welcomed him as a fresh start after years of turmoil under Jeremy Corbyn.

In a joint statement shortly after his election, then Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl, Jewish Leadership Council chair Jonathan Goldstein, Community Security Trust chair Gerald Ronson, and then Jewish Labour Movement chair Mike Katz praised him: “Keir Starmer has already achieved in four days more than his predecessor in four years in addressing antisemitism within the Labour party.”

They called it “a good start” and expressed hope for restoring Labour as a proudly anti-racist party.

Starmer followed through, adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism, suspending or expelling members, and repeatedly stating his commitment.

In 2022, he told Jewish leaders, “When I became leader, my first promise was to rip out antisemitism from our Party by its roots. I’m proud to say we’ve made huge strides in doing so.”

In response Keith Black, chair of the JLC noted “strong progress” and “strong action to match the strong words.”

Starmer’s personal connection to the Jewish community was also clear through his wife, Victoria, whose father Bernard is from a Polish-Jewish family.

The couple raised their children with a strong sense of Jewish heritage, occasionally observing Shabbat Friday night dinners and attending a Liberal synagogue in north-west London.

Starmer has acknowledged that conversations with Victoria and her family around the dinner table helped shape his understanding of antisemitism, giving him a more personal perspective on the issue that had plagued Labour.

When a Labour Party annual conference clashed with the Jewish High Holidays, Victoria joined other Jewish Labour colleagues in attending Rosh Hashanah services at shul in Liverpool.

A memorable moment of Starmer’s engagement with the Jewish community came in December 2025, when he hosted a Hanukkah celebration at Downing Street.

His wife Victoria and members of her family, including her 97-year-old Jewish father Bernard, were present alongside Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. Starmer and the Chief Rabbi took part in the candle-lighting ceremony during the event, which was held in the wake of a major terror attack on a Jewish community in Sydney.

The Prime Minister openly praised Mirvis for “providing counsel” to him.

When the Labour government swept to power in the July 2024 general election, Starmer had achieved what had seemed impossible only a few years earlier under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

The election results confirmed that, because of Starmer’s pledge to rid Labour of the stain of antisemitism that had flourished under Corbyn, some Jewish voters—though not all—felt confident enough to cast their votes for Labour again.

In key constituencies where the Jewish vote mattered—such as Finchley and Golders Green, Chipping Barnet, and Hendon—all went Labour in that momentous general election.

However, complications were always likely, as long as Israel’s war in Gaza continued to result in the deaths of innocent Palestinians, hostages remained cruelly captured by Hamas terrorists, and the continued impact of the horrific October 7th massacre understandably dragged a significant section of British Jews into an ultra-defensive, pro-Israel stance.

Starmer’s early strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself after the October 7, 2023 attacks drew approval from many Jewish leaders, who valued his firm stance against Hamas and his efforts to combat rising antisemitism linked to the conflict.

He pushed back against certain protest chants and emphasised protecting Jewish communities.

But as the Gaza war dragged on and humanitarian suffering mounted, tensions emerged. Starmer faced criticism from some quarters for shifting toward calls for ceasefire and greater aid access.

Board of Deputies leaders, while often aligned with him on antisemitism, occasionally expressed concerns over aspects of his Middle East policy, with some communal figures warning that distancing from Israel could carry risks.

Throughout his time in Downing Street, Starmer repeatedly found that the United Kingdom’s national interest diverged from the positions of the Israeli government.

On Gaza, he moved earlier than Israel wanted by calling for a ceasefire and ultimately recognising Palestinian statehood, arguing this served Britain’s long-term diplomatic goals in the Middle East.

Similarly, during the 2026 Israel-Iran war, Starmer made it clear the UK would not be drawn into direct conflict, stating, “This is not our war” and “We will not be drawn into the conflict. That is not in our national interest.”

He prioritised protecting British energy security, keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, and avoiding deeper entanglement—even when this meant declining requests from allies and drawing criticism from parts of the Jewish community who felt he was insufficiently supportive of Israel.

The biggest flashpoint came on 21 September 2025 when Starmer announced the UK’s formal recognition of a Palestinian state, saying the move was “to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution.”

The decision triggered sharp backlash from major Jewish organisations. The Board of Deputies said there would be “deep dismay” across the community, arguing it rewarded Hamas and reduced pressure on them while hostages remained captive.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis strongly criticised the move, stating: “Our Government has announced its intention to recognise a Palestinian State – even if terrorists remain in power and hostages remain captive in tunnels. This can only disincentivise Hamas from agreeing to a ceasefire. It therefore fundamentally undermines the cause of peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

However, a smaller group of UK Jews, undoubtedly connected to the mainstream community, welcomed the decision.

Progressive Judaism co-leaders Rabbi Charlie Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy attempted in September 2025, to issue a joint statement that tried to hold both sides of the community’s pain, saying: “This moment is painful.”

They added:””With the trauma of October 7 still so raw, and the plight of the hostages an open wound, recognition feels to many like a reward for violence or a diminishment of their suffering… Terror must never be rewarded…

“At the same time, there are those who, through their pain, will welcome the principle of recognition: as a statement that peace must remain possible, and that the two-state solution remains the only sustainable path to peace, security and dignity for two peoples whose futures are bound together. As Jews we can hold these two voices at once.”

Starmer faced further scrutiny over his government’s handling of a wave of antisemitic terror attacks targeting the Jewish community in 2025 and 2026, including a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur.

Some Jewish leaders criticised the response as too slow and insufficient, arguing the attacks should have been foreseen given the sharp rise in incidents since October 2023.

Others praised his actions, including increased funding for community security and visible policing.

Despite being critical of Starmer’s stance on Israel, Rabbi Mirvis was often quick to praise the PM for his determination to tackle antisemitism at home, including his visit to Kenton United Synagogue in the days after it faced an arson attack.

“It is important that at all times I be open with him to bring to his attention the anxieties of our community together with the resilience of our community,” Mirvis told Jewish News of his meeting with Starmer at the shul that day. “He is certainly aware from the many occasions that I have met him how deeply worried our community is at this time.”

But Mirvis added: “Isn’t it really so encouraging that our Prime Minister came to a synagogue today?

“He spent one hour and twenty minutes here, more than his schedule allowed, at a time in which we all know he is very preoccupied with many major issues.

“It’s a statement that our government wants to be seen to care, and places the security and well-being of our community as a priority.”

Starmer also faced pressure from Jewish community leaders to take a much tougher stance on pro-Palestine marches. He agreed that certain chants, particularly “globalise the intifada”, were antisemitic and amounted to calls for violence against Jews.

He stated clearly that “if you stand alongside people who say ‘globalise the intifada’, you are calling for terrorism against Jews and people who use that phrase should be prosecuted.”

However, as a former human rights lawyer, Starmer was careful to defend the broader right to protest in Britain.

He stressed the need to balance security with civil liberties, which led to criticism from some in the Jewish community who felt his response was too cautious and failed to adequately protect them from repeated intimidation.

There was also praise for the PM’s decision to convene a high-profile summit at Downing Street in May 2026, bringing together police, universities, businesses and community leaders to tackle antisemitism.

At the summit, Starmer described rising antisemitism as “a crisis for all of us” and said every part of society had a responsibility to confront it.

Phil Rosenberg, Board of Deputies president said:”Whhen he took on the leadership of the Labour Party the first thing Keir Starmer
said he would do is ‘tear out the poison of antisemitism by its roots’.

“His subsequent actions were transformative within the Party. With hatred rising in the country, Keir Starmer’s government provided unprecedented security funding, changed the law around public order, and introduced legislation to proscribe the IRGC.

“Just last month, he convened an unprecedented summit on antisemitism in civil society as a reminder of his commitment. ”

During his time as Labour leader, Starmer also made himself regularly available to Jewish media outlets.

He gave frequent interviews to Jewish News and took part in several one-to-one conversations with  other Jewish journalists.

This consistent engagement was welcomed by many in the community, who saw it as a clear sign that he took Jewish concerns seriously and was willing to be held accountable by Jewish audiences in a way previous Labour leaders had not been.

His engagement with communal organisations like the Holocaust Educational Trust, and the Community Security Trust was also very positive and constructive, in much the same way previous PM’s had been.

Starmer’s likely successor is Andy Burnham.

Burnham’s early track record was very supportive of Israel—he was a member of Labour Friends of Israel and once said Israel would be his first overseas visit as leader.

However, there are now fears in parts of the Jewish community that he could become even more critical of Israel than Starmer.

Burnham called for a Gaza ceasefire in late October 2023, months before Starmer shifted position, and he backed recognition of a Palestinian state in June 2025, well before the government’s move.

On other issues around Palestine, some fear he will be further dragged toward a more pro-Palestine position under pressure from the left.

One Jewish Labour source even suggested communal leaders in the north-west of the country had “regularly held Andy Burnham to lower standards than they have Keir Starmer, which is disappointing.”

Communal figures who have praised Burnham’s relationship with the Manchester Jewish community dispute this claim of double standards.

As Starmer confirmed his resignation on Monday, the Board’s Rosenberg added in a post on X:”When the next Prime Minister comes to office, we at the Board of Deputies will continue to advocate for our community, press for a society free of hatred and prejudice, and a world of more security and peace. ”