Mond quits Tories over failure to sanction ex-minister who made CFI dual loyalty claim

One of the Conservative Party’s most loyal and staunch supporters in the Jewish community has announced he has resigned in response to the decision to dismiss an investigation into antisemitism claims against a former minister.

Gary Mond, a Tory Party member for 47 years, former elected councillor and twice a parliamentary candidate, confirmed he had left the party in response to failure to “punish or even criticise” Duncan, after he claimed two peers were working in the Lords  at the behest of the Israeli state.

In a statement, former Board of Deputies officer Mond launched a scathing attack on the decision to dismiss claims Duncan had invoked “antisemitic tropes” with his comments about Lord Stuart Polak and Lord Eric Pickles in an LBC radio interview.

“What has happened is that the Party has in effect deemed acceptable a viciously antisemitic trope, namely the accusation of dual loyalty levelled against two very senior and highly respected Conservative peers who are both prominent in CFI. It is actually in my view the worst example of Jew hatred in the past few years, worse than anything that has happened in all other major political parties recently,” said Mond.

“The Party’s failure to punish or even criticise him sends the message to others, within the Party and outside, that his comments were not unacceptable. In my view this is an appalling example of
the condonement of statements that are very hurtful to Jews.”

He added “the language used against Lord Polak and Lord Pickles is a classic antisemitic trope, namely that of accusing them of dual loyalty and acting for a foreign power. When one considers tropes, it is always important to look at context, as sometimes there can be more than one meaning and the relevant one is not antisemitic. The language used here, however, can only mean exactly what it says and there is no room for doubt.”

Mond also said his credibility as chair of the National Jewish Assembly organization was also at stake. He said:” My credibility would be shot to pieces if on the one hand the NJA was severely criticising a political party over antisemitism, while on the other hand its chairman remained a member of the Conservative Party.In summary, I believe in supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism. It is evident from  its action that the Conservative Party does not.”

Mond was previously one of the community’s most outspoken supporters of the Tories, and has long played a senior role with the CFI orgainsation himself.

He also donated £10,000 to the leadership campaign of ex Prime Minister Liz Truss.

During an interview with presenter Nick Ferrari last April Duncan had claimed that the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI)  group “has been doing the bidding of Netanyahu, bypassing all proper processes of government to exercise undue influence at the top of government.”

He called for the expulsion of the group’s president Lord Stuart Polak from the Lords, claiming “he is exercising the interests of another country, not that of the Parliament in which he sits.”Duncan also attacked CFI Parliamentary Chairman Lord Eric Pickles and said: “They’re the sort of Laurel and Hardy who should be pushed out together.”

Asked about the investigation into Duncan a Conservative Party spokesman said: “Following a two-month investigation, an independent panel has reviewed the complaint and dismissed it.”