Revealed: Labour MP Egan forced to cancel school visit after anti-Israel teaching union campaign

A planned visit by Labour MP Damian Egan to a school in his Bristol North East constituency was cancelled over claims his presence might inflame teachers and parents, Jewish News can reveal.

The decision was taken to halt the routine visit to inspect the MP’s local school following a campaign mounted by the far-left-led National Education Union’s staff group, along with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, who highlighted Egan’s link to the Labour Friends of Israel group, and claimed to be representing the view of teachers, parents and residents.

Communities Secretary Steve Reed had revealed that a “Jewish colleague” was refused permission to visit a school in his own constituency, after officials cited fears his presence might “inflame teachers” as he spoke at the Jewish Labour Movement’s annual conference event on Sunday.

Reed told Jewish News news editor and publisher Justin Cohen at the event: “I have a colleague who is Jewish, who has been banned from visiting a school and refused permission to visit a school in his own constituency, in case his presence inflames the teachers. That is an absolute outrage.”

Asked what his response was to this incident, Reed said:” They will be called in, and they will be held to account for doing that, because you cannot have people with those kinds of attitudes teaching our children. You just can’t have it.”

Reed did not name the Jewish colleague.

But social media posts from last September show pro-Palestine activists celebrating the fact that Egan’s school visit had been cancelled.

One Facebook post reads: “The planned school visit today (Friday 5th September) by Damian Egan, MP for Bristol North East, has been cancelled after concerns were raised by the NEU trade union staff group, parents and local constituents.

“This is a clear message: politicians who openly support Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza are not welcome in our schools. Egan is Vice Chair of Labour Friends of Israel and has visited Israel since the current onslaught on Gaza began, demonstrating his support. We celebrate this cancellation as a win for safeguarding, solidarity, and for the power of trade unionists, parents, and campaigners standing together.”

During Sunday’s appearance at the JLM conference, Reed admitted the government had been slow to respond to some examples of anti-Israel extremism, and promised Labour had “reassessed” this approach to match the zero-tolerance approach to tackling antisemitism in Labour as Keir Starmer became leader.

Since winning his seat at the last election, Egan has repeatedly been targeted by anti-Israel activists.

He has an Israeli husband, the Google software developer Yossi Felberbaum, and has also spoken out in support of the Jewish state during parliamentary debates.

Under the leadership of Daniel Kebede, the NEU general secretary, Britain’s biggest trade union has taken an increasingly hardline anti-Israel stance.