Rebel Tory MPs speak of ‘bullying and threats’ ahead of Genocide Amendment vote
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

Rebel Tory MPs speak of ‘bullying and threats’ ahead of Genocide Amendment vote

One MP accused the government of being 'very heavy handed. Lots of bullying, cajoling, veiled threats being passed along' against those defying the whip

Conservative MPs planning to vote against the Government on a Trade Bill amendment pressing China on its persecution of the Uyghur minority have told of whips’ “bullying and threats” behind the scenes.

Jewish groups are among those urging Tory MPs to resist toe-the-line calls from Downing Street on Tuesday as the Bill plus its amendment makes its way back to the House of Commons following overwhelming support in the Lords.

If passed, it would allow Britain’s most senior judges to rule on whether a third country was committing genocide, such is the claim against China. If they are found to be, it would force London to rethink its trade links with the perpetrator, a change ministers are fiercely resisting.

Support for the amendment cut the Government’s 80-seat majority in the Commons to just 11 last month, after calls from groups including the Board of Deputies and the Uyghur World Congress, which has worked with Jewish News for months to report the systematic abuses in Xinjiang.

Dozens voted with their conscience, urged on by leading MPs such as former leader Iain Duncan Smith and former minister Nusrat Ghani, who has referred to Jewish News reporting in her campaign.

Now Conservative MPs say the Government’s whipping operation has moved into overdrive. One told The Telegraph: “They have been very heavy handed. Lots of bullying, cajoling, veiled threats being passed along.” Another said the whips had been “pretty tough”, adding: “It hasn’t been easy.”

Another revealed the extent to which the Government’s most senior figures have been involved in leveraging backbench support. “The Foreign Secretary does not ring backbenchers at home on a Sunday afternoon unless the Government is really, really worried,” they said.

Over the weekend Sally-Ann Hart, a Tory MP who rebelled for the first time over the amendment, issued a rallying cry. “Accounts of Holocaust survivors should be a call to action for all of us on Tuesday, to take a stand against such modern atrocities happening before our very eyes,” she said.

“We must all have the will to do what is right and to strive for morality in our actions.”

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

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.

read more: