The government has been delivering on its promise to help protect our community
Whether on the streets or in civil society, antisemitism will be confronted and driven out
“Have you seen what’s happened?”
I turned on my phone at 6am on 23 March to a text from Justin, co-publisher of Jewish News. The image of burning ambulances was straight out of a war movie. Except it was our community, our home, Golders Green. I got dressed, made my way to the site and spoke first to the Hatzola first responders, then to the world’s media.
The torching of the Hatzola ambulances was part of an appalling wave of antisemitic attacks on our Jewish community.
In the aftermath of these attacks, Barnet was given a temporary uplift in police resources. But, as I said at the time, short-term solutions were not enough.
We needed a permanent increase in policing, and I met with the Home Secretary and Prime Minister to call for more support in our outer London borough.
This week, the Government delivered.
A quarter of a billion pounds has been committed to an increase in policing for Jewish neighbourhoods. Of this £251 million, the Metropolitan Police will receive £86 million to recruit 300 new officers to increase the police presence in Jewish neighbourhoods and create a Golders Green community hub.
More police in our patch of North London, with a sizable and visible Jewish community, means faster responses, patrols to act as a deterrent and the on-the-ground support that’s needed and long been campaigned for.
But, as some have rightly identified, this cannot be a case of building higher walls around the Jewish community and leaving it at that. This Government has taken a society-wide approach.
Just this week it has taken steps using its new National Security (State Threats) Act 2026 to proscribe the IRGC. New policing powers, in the Crime and Policing Act, will deal with protests outside of synagogues, the use of face coverings to conceal identity and disruption caused by repeat protests. We have introduced a comprehensive social cohesion strategy – five million pounds towards local projects – that will assist communities organising around interfaith, community safety and youth initiatives.
We have also convened civil society to root out antisemitism. Education institutions and healthcare settings have been told to step up. The Government has adopted the recommendations of Lord Mann’s review into antisemitism in the NHS, which includes training for NHS staff on antisemitism and clear uniform guidance. £7 million has been committed to tackle antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities.
These steps have been taken because though this week’s record-breaking announcement on policing is welcome, antisemitism cannot be driven from our streets only to find refuge elsewhere. As I said the day after the attack on Golders Green, an attack on British Jews is an attack on Britain itself.
This week Parliament said goodbye to Keir Starmer. I was in the chamber for his emotional last PMQs and I joined communal leaders at a farewell reception in the Downing Street garden where Keir Starmer underscored his commitment to British Jewry, promising to fight antisemitism with “every breath in his body”. Keir has been a leader and a mensch. His final act protecting and supporting our community will leave a lasting legacy, which I know the new Prime Minister will want to build on.
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