Labour’s Hertsmere candidate called for Israel arms embargo

Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Hertsmere called for an arms embargo on Israel, during the 2014 war in Gaza.

Fiona Kay Smith, who is looking to unseat Oliver Dowden’s 18,000 majority in the constituency, posted her remarks on Twitter during the heated conflict three years ago (11 August).

Smith wrote: “Call on the UK government to halt the supply of arms to Israel. We must not facilitate war crimes”, alongside a link to an Amnesty International appeal.

The Hertsmere Constituency Labour Party have been asked for comment.

Hertsmere incorporates areas of Bushey, Borehamwood and Radlett, all of which have seen major Jewish population growth, according to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR).

The constituency is home to the UK’s fastest growing Jewish community, which grew 35 percent between the 2001 and 2011 censuses. According to JPR’s report ahead of the 2015 General Election, there were 14,293 Jews in the constituency, and has been held by the Conservatives since its creation in 1983.