Starmer tells communal leaders a Labour government will ‘stand up for the Jewish community’
Sir Keir Starmer met with leaders of the Board, JLC and CST for a constructive meeting in which concerns over the protection of the Jewish community was among the issues raised
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has vowed a future government under his leadership will “stand up for the Jewish community and work to eradicate antisemitic hate crime” at a meeting with communal heads.
Starmer met with leaders of the Board of Deputies, along with the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) and the Community Security Trust (CST) on Wednesday, where a wide range of topics were discussed.
High on the agenda was continued concerns over the safety of the community in the wake of the failure to prosecute suspects in a succession of high-profile incidents in London.
Community Security Trust chief executive Mark Gardner later said the meeting “was a welcome opportunity to share with the Leader of the Opposition our concerns about anti-Jewish incitement, the growing far right terrorist threat and the importance of prosecuting antisemitic hate crimes.
“We particularly appreciated Sir Keir’s understanding of the vital importance of the government grant for security guarding at Jewish schools and other communal buildings.”
It was a pleasure to meet with @BoardofDeputies, @JLC_uk, and @CST_UK to reaffirm my commitment to rebuilding Labour’s relationship with the Jewish community.
My Labour government will stand up for the Jewish community and work to eradicate antisemitic hate crime. pic.twitter.com/sUeles66vN
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) December 1, 2022
The Labour leader’s reassurance came after continued anger of the failure to prosecute any of the suspects in the Palestine car convoy that drove through north west London last year, and over the earlier Chanukah bus incident in Oxford Street.
During the summit Starmer also spoke of his pride at the “huge strides” Labour had taken in eradicating anti-Jewish racism in his party.
There was also discussion on how elected officials can raise issues in relation to Israeli-Palestinian relations without inflaming tensions in this country. The impact of the cost-of-living crisis in the UK on the community was also discussed at length.
Anneliese Dodds, party chair and shadow secretary of state for women and equalities, attended the meeting alongside Sir Keir, as did Sarah Owen, the shadow minister for local government and faith.
In the Jewish community delegation were Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl and chief executive Michael Wegier. Attending for the JLC were chair Keith Black and co-chief cxecutive Claudia Mendoza, and for the CST, chief executive Mark Gardner and head of policy Dave Rich.
Following the meeting, Starmer said:“When I became leader, my first promise was to rip out antisemitism from our Party by its roots. I’m proud to say we’ve made huge strides in doing so, no better measure of which is earning back the trust of Jewish Communities.
“Winning back Barnet council in May this year was a special milestone for me as it signified that Jewish people could feel able to put their faith back in our Party.
“As I always am, I was pleased to meet with the Board of Deputies of British Jews today, as a key voice of the UK Jewish community and doing vital work raising awareness of important issues facing British Jews.
“Our relationship and continued open dialogue is important to me, for our Party and our path to forming the next government. I want to do that working alongside Jewish communities and look forward to working with organisations like the Board of Deputies of British Jews to achieve it.”
Marie van der Zyl said: “I was pleased to lead a communal delegation to meet the Leader of the Opposition and discuss key topics of interest to British Jews.
“These included the security of our community, the ongoing fight against antisemitism (both internal to the Party as well as the country as a whole), the strong connection we have to Israel, and our concern to ensure fair treatment of refugees.
“We also discussed how the rising cost of living has affected the Jewish community, and potential ways in which parties can work together across the divide to help alleviate some of that pressure.
“I thank Keir Starmer and my colleagues at the JLC and CST for a successful meeting, and look forward to continuing these conversations in the coming period.”
Keith Black said:”We are grateful to Sir Keir for making the time to meet.
“The change in the Labour Party is evident and strong progress has been made over recent years. We have always said that we could only judge the Labour Party on its actions in tackling antisemitism, and to date we have seen strong action to match the strong words.
“We hope that this is the beginning of a regular series of engagements with the Labour leadership and look forward to continuing our conversation for the benefit of our members and wider community.”
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