Voice of the Jewish News: Jeremy Hunt petition misses the point

This week's second editorial reflects on the reaction to this paper's exclusive interview with the foreign secretary, who is vying to be the next prime minister

A petition demanding Jeremy Hunt apologises for comments made about Jeremy Corbyn and antisemitism in his interview with Jewish News this week has attracted more than 17,000 backers in a day.

If the foreign secretary had been trying to imply Jeremy Corbyn is a modern-day Hitler, as the petition wildly claims, his rhetoric would have been rightly considered hyperbole. But this was clearly not his intention.

Instead, Hunt sought to reflect concerns about Corbyn’s past record and the debacle that is his party’s handling of antisemitism. For the overwhelming majority of British Jews, the prospect of Corbyn becoming prime minister is a real fear that’s hard to overstate.

Whatever your view of how Hunt chose to reflect those concerns to Jewish News, it should not take away from this undeniable fact, or excuse the foul abuse he’s received for speaking out.