Sajid Javid: Other UK ministers should follow me to the Kotel
During visit to Finchley and Golders Green, the Chancellor says anyone considering voting for Luciana Berger 'may as well vote for Corbyn, because that's what you're getting'
Justin Cohen is the News Editor at the Jewish News
Sajid Javid has said he hopes other ministers will follow his lead in visiting the Kotel during future visits to the country, saying such a stop-off “shouldn’t have been so extraordinary”.
The Chancellor broke with tradition in visiting Judaism’s holiest site this summer during a trip to the region in which he also held talks with the Palestinian prime minister.
British ministers have stayed away for the nearly two decades for fear of being seen to step into the conflict – although Prince William during the first ever official Royal visit last year visited the site.
During a visit to Finchley and Golders Green today to support Tory candidate Mike Freer, he told Jewish News: “Visiting the western wall shouldn’t have been so extraordinary for a British minister. I think I was the first cabinet minister in around 20 years and I was very pleased I did. It was important to me and I’d like to see that happen much more frequently.”
Reflecting on two days of rocket attacks on Israel from Islamic Jihad following the assassination of a leader of the terror group, he also backed Israel’s right to respond. “Israel is one of our strongest allies,” he said. “We’ve always defended Israel’s right to defend itself especially from terrorism. It’s one of the reasons why as home secretary I fully banned Hezbollah. We will always take a hard line against terror, whether against ourselves or our allies.”
Finchley and Golders Green is set to be one of one of the country’s most hotly contested seats after former Labour MP Luciana Berger was picked to contest it for the Liberal Democrats. One of the UK’s most high-profile MPs partly through her very public battle against antisemitism, she is set to pick up votes in an area that voted by an estimated 69 percent to stay within the EU and a recent poll tipped her to triumph.
But Javid – who described Freer as an “outstanding” constituency representative – suggested the Tory was backed by the only party “that can deliver a deal within weeks and still keep a very close relationship with our European friends. People are democrats and they want to see the democracy being respected”.
He described Berger as a “good person” who’d faced “completely unacceptable” treatment while in Labour. But echoing Freer’s own message, he insisted: “Every single person in this constituency knows there are 2 outcomes – Boris Johnson with a Conservative government or Jeremy Corbyn with a Labour government. There is nothing else and Luciana would agree with that. A vote for anybody other than Mike therefore is a vote for Corbyn. If you’re going to think about voting for Luciana in this seat, no matter what your reasons, you may as well vote for Corbyn because that’s who you’re helping.
“He would not only be an economic disaster for this country but also the most divisive party leader this country had seen in generations. He has a serious problem with Jewish people.”
Visiting the area last week, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson repeated her guarantee she would not prop up a Labour government led by Corbyn.
Javid famously encouraged his fellow Tory leadership challengers to back an independent probe into Islamophobia in the party on live TV. He has since said it would cover all types of prejudice and would kick-off this year.
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.
