No.10 admits government ‘must go further’ as UK Jews ‘live’in fear’

Downing Street has admitted the government “must go further” to stop Jewish people “living in fear” in the UK, following renewed concerns about rising antisemitic terror attacks.

Responding to criticism that the government continues to allow antisemitism to grow unchallenged in the wake of the Sydney terror attack, a spokesperson for Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “I think we see with every antisemitic attack that many Jewish people are living in the UK in fear.”

“The Prime Minister has resolved to stand with Jews in Britain – this includes giving the Jewish community the security they deserve, starting with a more visible security presence, including at Chanukah events here in the UK,” the spokesperson added.

Later on Monday Starmer appeared before the the Liaison Committee in parliament where he acknowledged that the Bondi Beach attack was not an “isolated incident” and was part of a pattern of incidents focused on Jewish holy days.

The PM said: “It has impacted not just in Australia, but across the globe, and it has impacted on Jewish communities here in the United Kingdom that I know feel even more insecure today than they did before yesterday.”

He added: “This is clearly not an isolated incident and these incidents are chillingly focused on some of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar.

“We have in our minds, Heaton Park here in the United Kingdom in October, and I want to reassure our Jewish communities here in the United Kingdom that we will take every step that we can, use all of our powers to make sure they’re safe and secure as they should be.”

Reiterating steps previously taken to clamp down on antisemitic hate, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson urged police to use “existing powers” to tackle hate speech at pro-Gaza marches in London and other cities.

Downing Street said Starmer “agreed” that calls to “Globalise The Intifada” at pro-Palestine demonstrations are antisemitic “calls to attack Jewish communities around the world.”

“We’ve seen antisemitic incidents proliferate at these marches, and we won’t tolerate that,” the spokesperson said.

“As the Prime Minister has said recently, in addition to the police using their existing powers more robustly, the Home Secretary is also looking at the cumulative effect of marches and protests. That includes looking at marches that happen in the same place every time.”

The government stressed that grants to the Community Security Trust and other protective funding for the Jewish community are now at record levels, but acknowledged that “we must go further” to ensure British Jews live in safety and without fear.

The spokesperson also noted an urgent review of antisemitism in the NHS, new police powers being brought forward to impose conditions on repeated protests and demonstrations, and a review of hate crime laws. Universities are being urged to take “firm action” to protect Jewish students from harassment.

Earlier, victims minister Alex Davies-Jones described an “abhorrent” rise in antisemitism in Britain.

She told LBC Radio: “That’s totally abhorrent, the rise in antisemitism that we are seeing, not just in the UK but around the world.”

“We all need to get a grip on antisemitism,” she added, including the Government.

“We are going further, whether that’s with legislation, financial support for the Jewish community, or introducing new offences of protest outside religious places of worship to protect those who are just seeking to celebrate their faith.”