New Statesman says Corbyn ‘unfit for office’ due to antisemitism and Brexit
The left-wing magazine refused to endorse either party, castigating the Labour leader over his response to the antisemitism row
The New Statesman declined on Wednesday to back a party at next week’s general election, castigating Jeremy Corbyn for his handling of the row over antisemitism and his stance on Brexit.
The left-leaning weekly, which offered a qualified endorsement for Labour in 2017 and backed it in 2015, refused to support a party in a Leader column published online today.
Despite this, the magazine encourages readers to judge local candidates based on “his or her merits” and to vote tactically “to deprive Mr Johnson’s hard Brexit Conservatives of a majority,” praising Luciana Berger among a list of “fine parliamentarians.”
While hailing Labour’s “bold manifesto,” including its green new deal and proposal to roll out free broadband across the UK, the editorial claims Corbyn is “unfit to be Prime Minister” due to his “reluctance to apologise for the antisemitism in Labour and to take a stance on Brexit.”
It cites Chief Rabbi’s Ephraim Mirvis’ unprecedented criticism last week, as well as the Equalities and Human Rights Commission’s formal investigation into the party and the Jewish Labour Movement’s refusal to endorse the party unless for extraordinary candidates.
The piece, which describes Boris Johnson’s politics as “one of oligarchy and demagogy,” claims both leaders are “profoundly unpopular” and compromised by “their past actions and associations.”
“On the eve of a new decade, there is an acute need for an alternative political and economic settlement that no party at present adequately represents. Moments of national renewal are never smooth or painless,” the piece reads.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
