Rabbi urges congregants to vote tactically against Labour in dramatic letter

A leading Reform rabbi in Maidenhead has urged his congregants to vote tactically against the Labour Party at the upcoming general election, a report claimed.

MPs and peers have backed legislation triggering an early general election on 12 December this week. The bill will now go to the Queen to receive Royal assent.

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain contacted over 800 families across more than a dozen constituencies, the Jewish Chronicle reported on Thursday.

Issuing a stark warning, Rabbi Romain urged congregants to “put aside all other considerations and vote for whichever party is most likely to defeat Labour.”

While defending Labour’s “long record of fighting discrimination and prejudice” the letter claims its leader Jeremy Corbyn has “at best, let antisemitism arise within its ranks, or at worst, has encouraged it.”

The letter states: “If you, too, think that a Corbyn-led government would pose a danger to Jewish life as we know it…whether it be utterances that cause Jews to feel victimised, less secure and no longer at ease…or maybe even legislation that restricts Jewish life or relations with Israel in some way, then you may wish to vote to ensure Labour does not gain your local seat.”

It cites the Equalities and Human Rights Commission probe into alleged antisemitism within Labour and Dame Louise Ellman’s resignation in October.

Labour is currently under investigation by the watchdog, which is expected to deliver its verdict as early as January – making it the second party to be probed by the watchdog after the British National Party.

Dame Louise quit Labour after been a member for 55 years earlier this month. She claimed Corbyn was “not fit” to be prime minister and that she could not bring herself to advocate for him to enter Downing Street

A Labour spokesperson said the party “is fully committed to the support, defence and celebration of the Jewish community and continues to take robust action to root out antisemitism in the party and wider society.”

“We have imposed swift suspensions and the rate at which cases have been dealt with has increased more than four-fold. Jeremy Corbyn has made clear that antisemitism has no place in the party, has brought forward reforms to fast-track expulsions, and launched an education programme to deepen understanding of antisemitism within our movement,” the spokesperson added.