Extracts from Defence
Questions: Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
(Stoke-on-Trent South)
(Con)
4. What steps his Department is taking to assist in the provision
of humanitarian aid to Gaza.(901516)
The Secretary of State for Defence ()
The Ministry of Defence continues to stand ready to support the
effort, led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office,
to pursue land, air and maritime routes to deliver urgently
needed humanitarian aid.
Many of my constituents in Stoke-on-Trent South are extremely
concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and want to see
much more aid getting into Gaza. It is vital for the innocent
civilian population there. Will the Secretary of State update us
on what more is being done to ensure additional routes, and
particularly a sea route, into Gaza for humanitarian aid to
innocent civilians?
My hon. Friend will be pleased to hear that I have been to the
region on a number of occasions—I have visited Israel and Cyprus
twice, as well as visiting Egypt and Saudi Arabia—with the
specific intention of trying to resolve the problem that he
describes. We have already delivered 150 tonnes of aid, but the
problem is getting that aid into Gaza. Although we have persuaded
the Israelis to open Kerem Shalom, we desperately need Ashdod to
be opened, too. As we have discussed with the Cypriots, we could
then create a humanitarian aid route from Cyprus direct to Ashdod
and straight into Gaza via Kerem Shalom.
(Wentworth and Dearne)
(Lab)
The agonies of the Palestinian people are extreme. We all want
the fighting to stop now, for hostages to be returned now, for
aid to be ramped up now, and a ceasefire that lasts permanently.
What is the Defence Secretary doing to help his Israeli
counterpart to accept that their threatened offensive against
Rafah just cannot happen?
I agree with the right hon. Gentleman about the seriousness of
the situation. As he has just heard, I visited Israel before the new
year and had those conversations directly. I believe that it is
in Israel’s interest, obviously in Gaza’s interest, and in the
world’s interest to see that immediate cessation followed by a
permanent ceasefire. We are doing everything we can to persuade
the Israelis of that necessity and to put pressure on Hamas, who
still hold hostages—if they were to release them, this thing
could finish very quickly. We are also helping by ensuring that
we work on plans for what happens in the north of the country and
in southern Lebanon.
(Sheffield South East)
(Lab)
T3. So far, Israel has ignored
international appeals to not indiscriminately attack civilians
and not take steps that are basically razing Gaza to the ground.
It now looks as though it is going to ignore international
opinion about entering Rafah, so has the time not now come for us
to consider not selling to Israel arms that can be
used in those totally unacceptable ways?(901547)
Arms deals and export licences are dealt with in the normal way,
but the hon. Member will be interested to hear that actually, not
many arms sales take place in the direction of Israel at all. Off the
top of my head, I think it was just £42 million last year, and
that was mostly for protective equipment.
Commons statement
on Antisemitism in the UK
The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire (): With permission, I will make
a statement on antisemitism in the United Kingdom.
Last week, the Community Security Trust published its latest
report on antisemitic incidents. It made for deeply disturbing
reading. It showed that there were 4,103 instances of anti-Jewish
racist hatred recorded across the UK in 2023. That is the highest
annual total ever reported to the Community Security Trust. It is
a 147% rise from the 1,662 antisemitic incidents the previous
year, and 81% higher than the previous yearly record of 2,261
incidents, reported in 2021. Most shockingly, more than two
thirds of the incidents reported last year occurred on or after 7
October, when Hamas perpetrated its barbaric terrorist attack
on Israel The report also
indicates that antisemitism began spiking before Israel’s
military response had begun: the week immediately following 7
October saw 416 antisemitic incidents reported to the CST, which
is higher than any subsequent week.
The CST’s findings, which tally with increases in offending
reported by the police, are nothing short of a disgrace and an
outrage. Examples highlighted in the report are shocking and
reprehensible. I urge all Members to read the report because it
shines a light on the scale and character of this disgraceful
problem. The only reasonable conclusion to draw is that members
of Britain’s Jewish community are suffering a level of hatred and
abuse which is frankly shameful.
There is no excuse for the behaviour outlined in the CST report
or seen in some of the shocking incidents that have occurred
recently. The situation in the middle east does not and will
never give anyone the right to harass or intimidate others. I
repeat, no one ever has that right. This Government will not
stand for antisemitism of any kind. It is important to note that
the police have comprehensive powers to deal with abhorrent
conduct of this nature. For example, in the case of public order
offences, where there is proof of racial or religious hostility
on the part of the offender, offenders will be charged with
racially or religiously aggravated versions of those offences,
which will result in an uplift to their sentence. Furthermore,
inciting racial hatred is an offence under the Public Order Act
1986, and anyone engaged in that appalling behaviour should
expect to be arrested. Whenever and wherever criminality
involving antisemitism occurs, this Government expect the police
to investigate the incident fully and work with the Crown
Prosecution Service to bring the perpetrators to justice.
We have been clear both before and since the 7 October attacks
that we will do whatever it takes to keep Britain’s Jewish
community safe. We have taken strong steps to confront the poison
of antisemitism head on. We have increased funding to bolster
security at Jewish schools, synagogues and other sites. A total
of £36 million will be made available for these crucial
protective measures across 2023-24 and the following financial
year.
The Community Security Trust is an essential partner in our
efforts to keep the Jewish community safe, and I pay tribute to
it for the brilliant work that it does. The Home Office meets
regularly with CST staff and co-operates closely with them. We
keep dialogue open constantly, and both the Home Secretary and
the Prime Minister have regular meetings with them. None the
less, it should sadden us that these kind of precautions are
necessary in the UK, in 2024. The work of organisations such as
the CST is more important than ever, and we must remain vigilant.
That includes sending the message loud and clear from this
House—I hope from the whole House—that any instances of criminal
behaviour will be identified, and those responsible caught and
punished.
We are working closely with the police to ensure that hate crime
and expressions of support for terrorist organisations are met
with the full force of the law. The idea that anyone could
celebrate or valorise Hamas for the appalling terrorist
atrocities that it perpetrated on 7 October is beyond
comprehension. It goes completely against the values of this
country. Last month, we proscribed Hizb ut-Tahrir, an
organisation that actively promotes and encourages terrorism and
is responsible for spreading antisemitism. Hamas itself, of
course, is already a proscribed organisation. Anyone who belongs
to, or invites or expresses support for, a proscribed
organisation is committing an offence. The penalties upon
conviction are a maximum term of 14 years in prison and/or an
unlimited fine.
The right to protest is of course a fundamental part of our
democracy, but that right cannot be exercised in a way that
intimidates others or invokes fear in them. It is totally
unacceptable for a small minority to incite hatred and commit
crimes. The police have powers to deal with that, and we expect
them to act. Where further powers are needed, we will not
hesitate to act, which is why we recently announced a new package
of measures to crack down on dangerous disorder—in particular,
that committed at protests.
The CST’s findings on incidents within the sphere of higher
education were especially disturbing. No one should be subject to
antisemitic abuse while at university. Every effort must be taken
to prevent hatred from flourishing in schools, universities and
colleges. That is why we announced a further £7 million of
funding to help to tackle antisemitism in education.
We are equally unwavering in our stance towards hatred and abuse
directed at British Muslims. The Government have been in regular
contact with representatives of the Muslim community, and we are
aware of an increased number of reports of anti-Muslim hatred as
well. That is of course unacceptable, and we have made additional
funding available for protective security measures at mosques and
Muslim faith schools.
Last month, we marked Holocaust Memorial Day. Just as we remember
the horrors of the past, we must remain alert to present-day
dangers. Antisemitism is an ancient hatred, which has reared its
ugly head in the most abhorrent and evil ways throughout history.
The CST’s findings show that we have much more to do if we are to
rid our society of this poison, but the Government will never
stop trying. We will never give up on this fight. It matters too
much. Of course, that extends to ensuring that Members of
Parliament are protected from acts of similar hatred, which some
have suffered. I am thinking particularly of my hon. Friend the
Member for Finchley and Golders Green (), who is in the Chamber, whose
office suffered a terrible arson attack just a few weeks ago.
To the antisemites, we say this: “You will not win. You will be
shown up for the despicable racists you are.” To our Jewish
friends and colleagues, I say this: “We stand with you. We
understand your fears and we share your pain. We will protect
you—today, tomorrow and always.” I commend this statement to the
House.
5.53pm
(Normanton, Pontefract and
Castleford) (Lab)
I welcome the Minister’s statement, and advance sight of it. The
appalling and intolerable rise in antisemitism in Britain in
recent months, as set out in the report of the Community Security
Trust last week, is a stain on our society. We must never relent
in our work to root it out—something that I know the whole House
will want to affirm.
The more than 4,000 incidents in 2023 alone are an urgent
reminder of the responsibility that we all have to stamp out the
scourge of antisemitism wherever it is found. I join the Minister
in thanking the CST for the remarkable and tireless work that it
does each day, alongside the police, to keep our Jewish community
safe. Having supported and worked with it over many years, I know
the incredible forensic work that it does in monitoring
antisemitism, and the physical protection that it provides for
Jewish schools, synagogues and other community events. We owe it
our thanks.
We welcome and support the Government’s commitment of additional
funding for the CST. The incidents that it reports include a
violent, abusive attack on a Jewish man on his way home from
synagogue, the desecration of Jewish cemeteries, and a 200%
increase in antisemitic incidents at universities. Just 10 days
ago, a Jewish student residence in Leeds, Hillel House, was
vandalised with antisemitic graffiti. For the years they are
studying, universities are students’ homes. No one should ever
feel unsafe in their home, or wherever they are. Everybody has
the right to live in freedom from fear.
The CST’s report also found the number of online incidents of
antisemitism rising by 257%—an ancient hatred being resuscitated
through modern means, to proliferate and promote extremism. I
agree with the Minister that it is unconscionable that one of the
steepest surges in antisemitism came in the week following
Hamas’s barbaric terrorist attack on Israel on
7 October—the deadliest day for Jews since the holocaust—with
individuals in this country celebrating those scenes of
unimaginable horror. There must be zero tolerance for the
glorification of proscribed terrorist groups on Britain’s
streets. We support the proscribing of Hizb ut-Tahrir, and
ensuring that those who commit antisemitic hate crimes always
face the full force of the law.
In the weeks following 7 October, I met the CST together with
Tell MAMA, which monitors Islamophobia and has also identified a
huge increase in Islamophobic incidents and hate. They were
united in their call for an end to hatred and prejudice, to
antisemitism, and to Islamophobia. We must never allow the
terrible events and conflicts in the middle east, which cause
deep distress across our communities, to lead to increased
tension, hatred, prejudice, abuse or crimes in our communities at
home. I welcome the points that the Minister made about ensuring
that extremist incidents on marches are also addressed with the
full force of the law, but I press him to go further in a few key
areas.
First, the counter-extremism strategy is now eight years out of
date. There are reports that the work has been delayed again.
When will the Government come forward with an updated strategy?
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the Government’s own
experts have warned that there is a gap in the law around hateful
extremism that is allowing toxic antisemitic views and conspiracy
theories to be spread, and making it harder to police them. I
have asked this of Ministers before: will the Minister update us
on what action is being taken?
Will the Government also urgently look again at the decision that
Ministers took around a year ago to downgrade the reporting of
non-crime hate incidents, particularly around Islamophobia and
antisemitism, to ensure that those who engage in vile and
vitriolic religious hatred can always be properly monitored and
identified by the police?
Finally, I ask particularly about online antisemitism, which has
increased. We have seen a huge increase on X, formerly Twitter,
at the same time as some of its monitoring and standards have
been downgraded. Have the Government raised that directly with
Elon Musk and X? I urge them to do so, and to set out how the
Online Harms Bill will address that, because there are real
concerns that it will not go far enough to address the
changes.
We stand ready to work with the Government on this. Those on both
sides of the House will want us to stand together with Jewish
communities across the country, in solidarity against hatred,
prejudice and antisemitism in all its forms. All of us must stand
together and say that antisemitism must never have any place in
the United Kingdom.
I thank the shadow Home Secretary for her comments and questions.
She asked about protests. I agree that it is completely
unacceptable for people to seek to intimidate others, to incite
racial hatred or to glorify terrorism. In fact, it is illegal.
The police have made 600 arrests at protests since 7 October, and
we in Government are urging the police to use all their powers to
ensure that hatred is not incited in the course of the marches
that have happened.
The shadow Home Secretary rightly asked about online safety,
where a great deal of hatred is fomented. We are engaging with
online platforms on a regular basis; I think the Home Secretary
is due to travel to California next week to discuss these issues,
among others. From memory, schedule 7 to the Online Safety Act
2023 contains a list of priority offences, one of which is
inciting hatred. When that part of the Act comes into force,
large social media platforms will be under an obligation to take
proactive steps in advance, not retrospective steps after the
event, in order to prevent priority offences from taking place.
That will include hate crime of the kind she mentioned.
The right hon. Lady asked about non-crime hate incidents. The
changes to the guidance were designed to ensure that minor spats
between neighbours, or expressions of essentially legitimate
political views, do not end up wasting police time by getting
recorded. Where things do not meet the criminal threshold but
might be useful in pursuing a criminal investigation later, they
will still be recorded. To be clear, inciting racial hatred is a
criminal offence under sections 17 and 18 of the Public Order Act
1986; causing harassment, alarm and distress through threatening
and abusive language, or causing fear of violence, is an offence
under sections 4, 4A and 5 of that Act; and there are various
other criminal offences as well. Those things meet the criminal
threshold and are therefore not affected by any change to
non-crime hate incident recording rules in any event.
Updating the law and the approach to extremism is kept under
continual review. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for
Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spends a great deal of time
considering the question of extremism. In relation to criminal
law, just a week or two ago we announced various changes for
which we intend to legislate via Government amendments to the
Criminal Justice Bill when it comes back to the House on Report
in a few weeks’ time. Those measures will tighten up a number of
areas relating to protest, including removing the “reasonable and
lawful excuse” defence to various public order offences, making
it easier for the police to have a blanket prohibition on face
coverings, which are often menacing but also make it difficult to
identify people committing criminal offences at protests. We will
make it an offence to climb on key war memorials, which is
grossly disrespectful, and introduce other measures as well. We
keep things under continual review, so if further changes to the
law are needed, the right hon. Lady can be assured that we will
make them.
It is this Government’s view that antisemitism is a scourge that
must be fought online, on the streets, through the law and
through the courts. I am sure the whole House will be united in
that fight.
(Fareham) (Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his hard work and genuine
commitment to seriously tackling this issue, and I was pleased to
work with him and CST last year. The reality is that the Jewish
community has been demonised and targeted, is scared and has been
let down by the authorities. The Jewish community needs its
champions and friends to speak in its defence without fear or
favour. Lord , who sits in the other place, is one such courageous
advocate who has campaigned for decades against antisemitism and
Islamism. Does my right hon. Friend share my deep concern about
organisations such as Midland Heart, which has suspended Lord
Austin as its chair merely for his speaking against Islamism,
terrorism and antisemitism?
Let me first pay tribute to my right hon. and learned Friend for
her work during her time as Home Secretary. We worked closely
together, and I can tell the House that the Jewish community had
no stronger advocate in the Government on these issues,
particularly during the events of the autumn. I agree with what
she said about Lord Austin. I have read the tweets that he sent,
and it strikes me that there is nothing unreasonable about them.
He was criticising Islamism, which is a form of extremism. That
is obviously not the same as the Muslim community more widely, as
everybody knows. I do not think that the actions proposed by
Midland Heart are in the slightest bit reasonable. I join my
right hon. Friend the DLUHC Secretary in urging Midland Heart to
urgently reconsider what it has done. Lord Austin is a tireless
campaigner against racism, was a great servant of this House when
he was here, and does not deserve the treatment he has recently
received.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the SNP spokesperson.
(Inverclyde) (SNP)
I thank the Minister for advance sight of his statement. The
sharp rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia in the UK is
extremely concerning, and the SNP extends our heartfelt
sympathies to victims of antisemitism and all forms of hate
crime.
In today’s statement, I see references to “funding to bolster
security”, “caught and punished”, “the full force of the law”,
and “a maximum of 14 years in prison and/or an unlimited fine”,
none of which I disagree with in any way, shape or form. We need
to implement the law robustly. However, I am a bit concerned that
there is only one line in the statement that talks about
education. It says that £7 million of funding will be delivered
“in education”, but I would like it to say “through education”,
because surely we can eradicate antisemitism through education.
Through incarceration, it becomes a lot harder.
Part of Scotland’s strength is our diversity. We value Scotland’s
Jewish communities and other faith and belief communities. We
recognise the important role that they play in making Scotland a
safer, stronger and more inclusive society in which everyone can
live in peace and work to realise their potential. In June 2017,
the Scottish Government formally adopted the International
Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.
Formally adopting the IHRA definition demonstrates the Scottish
Government’s determination that there should be no place in
Scotland for any form of antisemitism or religious hatred that
makes our communities feel insecure or threatened in their daily
lives.
The Scottish Government’s recently published hate crime strategy
sets out their strategic priorities for tackling hate crime,
including antisemitism. It was informed by the communities with
lived experiences of hate crime. It makes a number of
commitments, including ensuring improved support for victims,
improving data and evidence, and developing effective approaches
to preventing hate crime. If I have one ask of the Minister, it
is to reconsider how much money we are putting into educating
people, so that we can all eradicate this heinous crime.
The hon. Gentleman asks about education. I made it clear in my
earlier remarks that, in the autumn statement on 22 November, the
Government announced a further £7 million of funding to help
tackle antisemitism in education and ensure that support is in
place for schools and colleges. In addition to that—since he asks
about education—on 5 November the Department for Education
announced a five-point plan to protect Jewish students on
university campuses, which included a call for visas to be
withdrawn from international students who incite racial hatred,
asking vice-chancellors to act decisively against staff and
students involved in antisemitism, and meeting the Office for
Students, the independent regulator, to find out what more it can
do to make it clear that antisemitism and racial hatred incited
on campuses should be referred to the police, and to explore an
antisemitism charter in higher education. I accept the point that
education at school and universities is important, but that is an
area where the Department for Education is taking a lot of action
in England. I would certainly urge the devolved Administrations
in Wales and Scotland to do the same.
Sir (Northampton North) (Con)
Vicious campaigns of antisemitism are occurring in many
universities in this country. Jewish students have visited me to
tell me about it, and some of the accounts are bone chilling. The
failure of the Metropolitan police to deal with some of the
fascist-style racists in the London marches has been a historic
disgrace that has unleashed more attacks. The aggressive hounding
by protesters of MPs, especially Labour MPs out campaigning and a
Conservative colleague at his home, is a real threat to the
democratic process.
I am concerned about reports of a magistrates court judge liking
an antisemitic post on social media, having passed an extremely
lenient sentence on protesters convicted of terrorism offences.
This judge apparently trains junior members of the judiciary and
is involved in judicial appointments of other judges. Should that
not result in a full, deep investigation, with a past docket of
cases being checked for bias and a potential suspension, pending
the interim report?
I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for his question.
Ministers are very clear that where behaviour on marches crosses
the criminal threshold—inciting racial hatred, causing fear of
harassment, alarm and distress, terrorism offences or glorifying
proscribed organisations—we expect the police to take robust
action and to make arrests. They have made about 600 arrests so
far. In fact, some brave police officers were injured in the
course of trying to make an arrest in London on Saturday.
I echo and strongly endorse my right hon. and learned Friend’s
point about Members of Parliament. No Member of Parliament, as a
democratically elected representative of the people, should be
subject to harassment or intimidation. As he said, some Labour
MPs have been, which is completely unacceptable. We have seen the
incident at the office of my hon. Friend the Member for Finchley
and Golders Green (), which was completely
unacceptable—in that case, I believe arrests have been made. And,
of course, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East
(Mr Ellwood) suffered a terrible incident at his home address
just a few days ago. All that is unacceptable and illegal, and I
expect the police not only to protect MPs, but to identify and
arrest the culprits afterwards.
In relation to the judge, the judiciary is of course independent.
Matters of judicial conduct are subject to investigation by the
Judicial Conduct Investigations Office. From the account of the
incident that I have heard, and which my right hon. and learned
Friend gave, that is the kind of thing that I would expect the
JCIO to investigate.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee.
(Kingston upon Hull North)
(Lab)
As the Minister knows, the Home Affairs Committee has been
carrying out an inquiry into the policing of protests. We have
been particularly appalled to hear evidence of the huge increase
in incidents of antisemitism perpetrated in the wake of the 7
October terrorist attacks. The CST has recorded that 43% of
antisemitism incidents last year explicitly referenced the
Israel-Palestine 7 October attacks and the conflict in Gaza.
Attacks on Jewish and Muslim communities here in Britain in
response to overseas conflicts are never acceptable. What more
can be done to stop the exploitation of such overseas conflicts
and the effect that it has on community cohesion in this
country?
The Chair of the Home Affairs Committee asks a very good
question. It disturbs me deeply, as I am sure it does many
Members, to see conflict occurring elsewhere in the world playing
out on our own streets and leading to tension, to put it
politely, and to a lot more—often hatred—being incited
domestically. As I said, there is no excuse whatsoever for the
events in the middle east, in Gaza, to lead to antisemitic hatred
on the streets of the United Kingdom. That is completely
unacceptable, and I am disturbed to see people engaging in that
kind of behaviour.
Across the House, we as political leaders need to make it clear
to our communities that that behaviour is not acceptable and not
consistent with British values, and that our laws will be
rigorously and robustly enforced. We have values here of
tolerance and mutual respect; we abhor terrorism, violence and
intimidation. I am sure that I speak for the whole House when I
say that we do not want to see that anywhere on our streets, and
no one—no matter how strongly they feel about what is happening
in Gaza—should behave in a way that is intimidating or incites
racial hatred. If we all, across this House, speak unanimously
with one voice on that topic, it will be heard by all communities
in this country.
(Brigg and Goole) (Con)
When British Jews woke up on 7 October to the pogroms and the
associated rapes, butchery of children and hostage-taking, we
expected sympathy from people on the streets of Britain. Instead,
we have seen people attacked for speaking Hebrew, Jewish
businesses attacked, Jews assaulted, and hate marches on our
streets. As we saw again this weekend, the fellow holding the
sign to remind marchers that Hamas are a terrorist organisation
was the one who was dragged off and had his collar felt by the
police, while people continue to march through the streets with
cries for jihad and intifadas and in support of the Houthis.
What everyone says in this place is all fine, but the reality is
that the demonisation of the world’s only Jewish state is playing
out in the demonisation of Jews in this country. In our
universities, the embedding of antizionism— in and of itself pure
Jew hate in many cases—is being wrought on Jewish students. So
although the measures that have been outlined are fine, there is
a deeper problem in our society: Jews do not feel safe in this
country. More must be done to tackle the real root cause of Jew
hate.
I was as appalled as my hon. Friend when some people—a small but
none the less significant minority—reacted to what happened on 7
October with a deeply disturbing jubilation. That is sick, it is
unacceptable and, depending on how it is expressed, it is frankly
illegal, because encouraging acts of terrorism or acts by a
proscribed organisation, which Hamas are, is a criminal offence.
As I have said, there is no excuse whatsoever for that kind of
behaviour. I was as sickened as he was, and as I am sure the
whole House was, to see that some people—some of our fellow
citizens—reacted to what happened on 7 October with apparent
jubilation instead of with horror and sympathy.
In relation to the police response, 600 arrests have been made at
the various protests that have followed 7 October. We have
repeatedly met police—I have lost count of the number of meetings
that we have had in the past three or four months—to urge them to
use the full extent of the law and to show zero tolerance to
people who break the law and incite racial hatred. As I say, 600
arrests have been made.
In relation to individual incidents, there is sometimes more to
them than meets the eye, but I will ask for an account of the
incident that my hon. Friend referred to. He is absolutely right
to say that no member of the Jewish community, whether on the
streets of central London, at university or at school, should
suffer fear and intimidation. The truth is that, in the past few
months in particular, they have suffered fear and intimidation,
and that is unacceptable. We expect the police to use the full
force of the law to stop that, and I know that the House will
speak with one voice in condemning it unreservedly.
(Chipping Barnet)
(Con)
Does the Minister agree that the attack on the constituency
office of my constituency neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member
for Finchley and Golders Green (), was an utterly unacceptable
attack on democracy? It is a matter of great sadness that this
Parliament will lose a fantastic MP because of the intimidation
associated with his being prepared to stand up for his Jewish
constituents and for Israel
I am pleased to report to the House that arrests have been made
in relation to the appalling attack on the office of my hon.
Friend the Member for Finchley and Golders Green, and I
understand that the perpetrators are currently on remand in
prison. It is a tragedy that someone with his exemplary track
record of public service feels that he is unable to stand for
Parliament again, partly as a result of the intimidation that he
has suffered, particularly the arson attack on his office. As I
am sure Members from across the House will acknowledge, he has
been a fearless advocate on behalf of his many Jewish
constituents. It is a loss to them and to Parliament that he will
not contest the next election. It is incumbent on us all to
ensure that no other Members end up feeling that way. I do not
want—I am sure that none of us does—to live in a country where
democratically elected representatives feel any form of fear or
intimidation. That is not how democracy works. In this country,
we settle matters at the ballot box, not through intimidation
tactics or violence on the streets. That is a principle that each
and every one of us must defend to our last breath.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I do apologise; I called two Members from the Government Benches,
so I will now call two from the Opposition Benches.
(Barking) (Lab)
I welcome the strong statements made by the Minister and the
shadow Home Secretary. I hope that, in tackling the deep-seated
antisemitism to which the hon. Member for Brigg and Goole () referred, we can work in a
united way across the House, and not seek to make cheap political
points on any individual cases.
We have had attacks on Jews in theatres in London; we have had
attacks on Jews in campuses, particularly in Leeds and
Birmingham, as other hon. Members have said; and, as the right
hon. and learned Member for Northampton North (Sir ) said, a judge has failed to
penalise three people for glorifying terrorism in London. People
in all sorts of sectors, locations and areas across our country
are worried that antisemitism is spreading. The Government’s
response needs to be co-ordinated. When will a new hate crime
action plan be published? The last one, despite consultation in
the interim, was published five years ago.
I share the right hon. Lady’s horror at the various events
highlighted in the Community Security Trust’s report, including
an incident at a theatre where a Jewish man was essentially
hounded out—a disgraceful and despicable act that has no place in
a civilised society such as ours. She mentioned the case that the
former Attorney General, my right hon. and learned Friend the
Member for Northampton North (Sir ), raised. I spoke to the
current Attorney General earlier today, and I understand that the
Crown Prosecution Service is reviewing that case as well; it
deeply concerns me, as I know it concerns the right hon.
Lady.
Our strategy in relation to extremism is something that the
Communities Secretary continues to consider, but the approach the
Government have taken is one of action, rather than words. For
example, we have legislated via the Online Safety Act, which
contains some very strong measures, as I said to the shadow Home
Secretary a few minutes ago. When I was technology Minister, she
and I discussed at some length the measures needed in that Act to
combat hate—measures based, in fact, on some of the terrible
experiences of antisemitism that the right hon. Member for
Barking ( ) has herself suffered. I
have talked about the increased funding for the Community
Security Trust, the Department for Education’s plan in
universities and schools, and the extra money for the Holocaust
Educational Trust, so the Government are taking action rather
than simply expending more words. However, as I said, this is an
issue that the Communities Secretary is extremely alive to.
(Twickenham) (LD)
Sadly, we have seen a trebling of antisemitic incidents on
university campuses between 2022 and 2023: the CST recorded 67
incidents on campuses in the month following the horrendous
attacks of 7 October, compared with just 12 in the same period
the previous year, and we have heard from other right hon. and
hon. Members about the terrible reports of antisemitic graffiti
and harassment of Jewish students coming out of Leeds and
Birmingham universities earlier this month. That is why my
Liberal Democrat colleagues and I very much welcomed the £7
million to tackle antisemitism in schools and universities that
the Government announced in November, which the Minister has
referred to. However, since then, we have had no update on how
many applications have been made to that fund and how the money
has been allocated. When will we get an update on some of the
many actions the Minister has outlined, and particularly on how
that £7 million has been allocated so far?
I would be very happy to come back to the hon. Lady and other
Members with an update on that question. It is an evolving
situation, but I echo her comments. It is particularly concerning
when universities—the training grounds for the next
generation—appear to have been hijacked in some places by
antisemites: when Jewish students are being intimidated and
harassed and Jewish societies have their meetings picketed, with
people standing outside shouting abuse and worse. That is
completely unacceptable, and we should all support the Department
for Education’s work in this area and call on university
vice-chancellors to show absolutely zero tolerance for that kind
of behaviour—to stamp on it hard wherever they find it.
(Harrogate and Knaresborough)
(Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement, and join him in
paying tribute to the work of the Community Security Trust.
Today, however, the most senior Liberal Democrat councillor in
Harrogate and Knaresborough has been exposed for tweeting
horrendous antisemitic comments for the past five weeks. She had
hundreds of followers, including many senior local Liberal
Democrats; she tweeted over 500 times on the subject, and those
tweets were read over 10,000 times, so it beggars belief that no
Liberal Democrat knew what she was saying. They must have known,
but in the five weeks she has been tweeting, they did nothing
until it was exposed in the media today.
In our politics, we have seen antisemitism in meetings; we have
seen it online; we have seen it in Rochdale; and now we have seen
it in Harrogate. Does my right hon. Friend agree that political
leaders—indeed, everyone in every political party—must act
immediately if they encounter antisemitism in their midst, not
wait to see whether anyone notices?
Yes. My hon. Friend is quite right: it is incumbent on political
leaders, from whom many other members of the community take their
lead, to act immediately, not just when antisemitism gets exposed
in the media or when pressure builds, and not because it is
convenient but because it is right. Whether it is the example in
Harrogate that my hon. Friend gave or, indeed, the recent example
in Rochdale, acting immediately from principle is what counts,
not just reacting to public pressure a few days later.
(Bury South) (Lab)
Jewish people in my Greater Manchester constituency have had to
endure a 163% increase in antisemitic hate crime, as detailed in
the CST’s annual incidents report. Some of that is blatant
targeting of Jews; in other cases, it is much more sinister,
targeting Zionists. When we see a banner saying “Zionists not
welcome”, we know what it means: “Jews not welcome”. Let us call
it out for what it is: anti-Zionism is antisemitism.
The Jewish community in my Bury South constituency have benefited
from the Government’s additional £3 million to increase the
already extensive security provisions. I thank the Government
again for that temporary funding, but would they be prepared to
continue that funding, and —given the extensive threats to the
Jewish community—consider making it permanent?
I completely agree with the hon. Gentleman. Very often,
anti-Zionism is nothing more than anti-Jewish sentiment; it is
antisemitism, and we should call it out where it happens, as he
has quite rightly done.
The extra money for the Community Security Trust will apply in
the current financial year; it will be a £3 million increase to
£18 million in total. It will also apply next year, in financial
year 2024-25, and it will be kept under review thereafter.
(Bury North) (Con)
As one of the two Members of Parliament for the Metropolitan
Borough of Bury, I support exactly what my colleague, the hon.
Member for Bury South (), has said. It is
important not to cheapen this debate, and we do not want to do
so, but how political parties deal with antisemitism within their
ranks is crucial and sends an important signal to the country
about how this Parliament treats the issue. Does my right hon.
Friend share, therefore, my genuine disappointment about the
weak, flip-flopping and changing position of the Labour leader,
the right hon. and learned Member for Holborn and St Pancras
(), concerning the remarks of
Labour’s now ex-candidate for the Rochdale by-election? Martin
Forde KC, who compiled a report for the Labour party on bullying,
sexism and racism within its ranks, has described those remarks
as “clearly antisemitic”.
As I said in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrogate
and Knaresborough () a few minutes ago, it is
incumbent on political leaders—particularly those who aspire to
the highest office in the land—to act quickly and from principle.
I am disappointed that after the comments of Labour’s former
Rochdale candidate became public, it took a number of days for
the Leader of the Opposition to act. I would suggest that he
reflects soberly on that; I am disappointed that it took so long,
and on reflection, he is probably disappointed with himself as
well. It might be useful if he said so publicly.
(Oldham East and
Saddleworth) (Lab)
The figures from the CST are absolutely horrific. Antisemitism is
absolutely unacceptable; hate crime, including Islamophobia, is
absolutely unacceptable; but does the Minister think there is
sufficient capacity within the police to investigate the full
range of issues that are being raised? What is the role of the
Equality and Human Rights Commission in preventing the
discrimination that can contribute to this hate?
I think there is enough resource in policing. As I may have said
once or twice before, we have record police officer numbers—a
total of 149,500 or so was reached in March last year—so we do
have sufficient resources. The police are prioritising this
issue, and of course, they can work with the EHRC to take
criminal action where the EHRC identifies examples of
antisemitism.
Sir (New Forest East) (Con)
Following the battle of Cable Street against Mosley’s
blackshirts, the Public Order Act 1936 introduced measures that
severely restricted the ability of Nazi-type movements to march
in predominantly Jewish areas. Is the Minister satisfied that the
police of today are sufficiently aware of the powers they have to
stop marches taking routes that go through areas that are
predominantly associated with a threatened community?
Yes, I am, and the police do it. For example, on Saturday, a
convoy was planned from the north of England to north London,
many parts of which have Jewish communities. The police stopped
that convoy because they were concerned that it would inflame
tensions and that the convoy would engage in intimidatory
behaviour.
Under sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986, the police
also have powers to place conditions on both processions and
assemblies where they feel they will lead to disorder, and they
use those conditions; in fact, they used them at the weekend. The
marchers originally planned to go right up to the Israeli embassy
in Kensington, but conditions were imposed to prevent their
getting within undue proximity of that embassy. In fact, my hon.
Friend the Member for Kensington (), who is sitting next to
me on the Front Bench, made direct representations to the police
on behalf of her constituents, raising concerns about the
marchers’ plans. The police have those powers, and have used them
more than once, as recently as this weekend.
(Brent North) (Lab)
The Minister will be aware that the largest Jewish school in
Europe—JFS—is in my constituency, and I want to thank the CST for
its vigilance and service on behalf of all the students and their
families. Sadly, only last month a student was physically
attacked by a group of youths outside the school, and those
youths goaded the student about the situation in Palestine. Would
the Minister agree that nothing can justify such an attack on an
innocent schoolchild, and does he accept that, whatever one
believes about the actions of the Israeli Government, racism and
anti-Jewish hatred must not be allowed to hide behind any
political mask?
The hon. Gentleman is quite right. The events in Gaza, or indeed
anywhere else in the world, provide no basis, reason or excuse at
all to inflict racist abuse on citizens in this country. There is
no justification whatsoever for antisemitic attacks on Jewish
people in this country because of what is happening elsewhere in
the world. What happened to that boy outside the Jewish free
school, JFS, in his constituency and what has happened—sadly,
tragically—to thousands of members of the Jewish community in
recent months is totally unacceptable and totally without excuse,
and the police should act to make arrests where that happens.
(Hendon) (Con)
I pay tribute to the Community Security Trust, which is based in
the Hendon constituency, for the work it does—not only the
full-time staff, but the volunteers. Sadly, the number of
offences we have seen does not surprise me. The continued
protests on the streets of London are simply normalising
antisemitism in the United Kingdom, but what bothers me the most
are offences on university campuses; and more and more of my
constituents are telling me that their children will not be going
to university as a result. Some 245 universities have adopted the
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of
antisemitism, but others continue to refuse to do so. Does the
Minister agree that there is no logical reason why any
vice-chancellor would not do so?
I join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to the work of the
Community Security Trust, as well as to Mark Gardner—its chief
executive—and all its staff and volunteers, and the people who
fundraise for it. The trust’s work has never been more important
than it is now.
I agree with what my hon. Friend has said about universities. I
can see no reason at all why every vice-chancellor and every
university should not adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism,
and I call on them today to do so. There is no excuse whatsoever
for failing to act. I endorse and echo the five-point plan set
out by the Department for Education to get this issue on campuses
tackled. It is deeply disturbing, and I want to see
vice-chancellors and other university leaders do a lot more to
stamp out the scourge of antisemitism, which is all too present
on our country’s campuses.
(Warrington North)
(Lab)
This weekend, my heart broke to see some 20 officers and multiple
police vans stationed outside my synagogue, and that this was
deemed necessary for our protection. The conflict in the middle
east is being used to radicalise people against British Jews
online, in our schools and universities, and on our streets.
Additional security funding is welcome, as is the funding for
education settings, but what financial support and resource will
be provided to local authorities for projects working across our
faith and community settings at a local grassroots level to bring
communities together, rather than allow them to be driven further
apart?
The hon. Member is right to say that grassroots work is needed.
The £7 million I referred to earlier is part of that, and
organisations such as the CST, which the Government substantially
fund or provide with quite a lot of money—£18 million a year—do
good work in this area as well. I echo her sentiment and that of
others: there is no excuse, no reason and no possible
justification for targeting Jewish people in this country, and
the full force of the law must come down on anyone who does
so.
(Heywood and Middleton)
(Con)
I cannot have been the only one, the weekend before last, to have
watched with a mixture of horror and incredulity as several
Labour Front Benchers were sent out to justify retaining their
Rochdale candidate, only for their leader to reverse his position
48 hours later based on the comments at a meeting and to praise
himself for his decisive action. Then they had to suspend their
candidate for Hyndburn for comments at the same meeting. If the
right hon. and learned Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition is
serious about having changed his party, as he repeatedly claims,
does my right hon. Friend agree that he should publish a full
list of the attendees of that meeting and a full transcript of
what was said by whom, so that voters in the north-west can know
who they are voting for and what they actually believe?
My hon. Friend is quite right; I agree with what he has said. The
Labour leader—the Leader of the Opposition—should publish a full
list of who was at that meeting and a full transcript to show
that he is serious about tackling antisemitism, and I call on him
now to do that. He should have reacted much sooner. It should not
have taken 48 hours to suspend a candidate who had said obviously
antisemitic things. I am deeply disappointed by that inexcusable
48-hour delay, but he now has a chance to make at least partial
amends by publishing that list and transcript.
(Edinburgh West) (LD)
I welcome the comments today from the Government in clamping down
on the astonishing and worrying spike we have seen in antisemitic
incidents since 7 October. Antisemitism is vile and disgusting,
and it infects every area of society—including, sadly,
politics—and where we see it, we need to root it out and remove
people from the process. To that end, I have written to the
Minister for Women and Equalities, the right hon. Member for
Saffron Walden (), asking if we can have a
cross-party discussion about how we deal with the problem in
politics —because we cannot pretend that it does not exist; it
does. I wrote to her in November and again last week, so can the
Minister please take forward that suggestion, and see if the
Minister for Women and Equalities will convene a cross-party
discussion on the issue?
Of course, there are many all-party parliamentary groups and
other cross-party groups taking an active interest in this area,
and I am sure that the Home Affairs Committee will consider it as
well. I think I am going to see my right hon. Friend the Member
for Saffron Walden () at some point later this
evening, so I will happily remind her about the hon. Lady’s
letter.
(Preseli Pembrokeshire)
(Con)
I thank the Minister for coming to the House and making this
important statement. Does he agree that even more alarming than
the sheer number of antisemitic incidents now being reported on a
daily basis is creeping tolerance across so much of our national
life and so many of our institutions—universities are just one
example—of an acceptable level of antisemitism, so long as it is
dressed up in a bit of Israel hatred? Does he
agree that that is what we need to be focusing on tackling,
because at the moment, as the CST report demonstrates, this
country is moving in a very serious and dark direction?
Yes, I agree completely with my right hon. Friend. We need to
show zero tolerance to all forms of antisemitism. It is incumbent
on everybody—particularly Members of Parliament, but everyone in
civil society, including university vice-chancellors, teachers
and lecturers, as well as people in the workplace—and every
single member of our society has an obligation to call out
antisemitism when they see it, and indeed any racism when they
see it; unless people are willing to do that, there is a danger
that it creeps in, as my right hon. Friend has just said. I think
it starts with Members of Parliament calling it out in their own
constituencies, and doing so publicly. That is what zero
tolerance means: never turning a blind eye, never turning the
other cheek, and never crossing the road and passing by on the
other side. It means always calling out antisemitism and racism
wherever we see it. That is an extremely important message.
(Nottingham South)
(Lab)
As has already been said, the CST report includes shocking
figures about the rise in antisemitism in university settings.
The Union of Jewish Students has warned repeatedly about a
climate of fear for Jewish students on campus, and the incidents
in recent weeks will only have deepened that fear. Can the
Minister say a little more about what he and his Government
colleagues will do, working with our universities, to ensure that
Jewish students can feel safe and secure during their time
studying?
As we have discussed already, Members across the House are
particularly concerned about what is happening on university
campuses. As I have said a couple of times, the Department for
Education has a five-point plan, which it set out just a few
weeks ago and which includes withdrawing visas from international
students who are inciting racial hatred. Anyone who is not a
British citizen who incites racial hatred or commits criminal
offences in this area should be removed from the United Kingdom.
People who come to this country need to respect our laws, and our
citizens and their rights and dignity, and people who are not
British citizens should be removed either under the Immigration
Act 1971 or section 32 of the UK Borders Act 2007 if they incite
racial hatred; I know the immigration Ministers will take action
there.
We want vice-chancellors to do more and have written to them
asking them to do so. We have had meetings with the Office for
Students—the regulator—to make sure it is doing more to clean up
what is happening on campuses; we are doing more to make sure
that criminal referrals—from universities to the police—are made
when antisemitism happens; and, as I have said, I think and the
Department for Education thinks that every single university
should sign up to the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
(Huntingdon) (Con)
Does my right hon. Friend know that synagogues in the west end of
London are being targeted by these so-called protesters, and that
this has happened not only once or twice but now on multiple
occasions—to the extent that they are even looking to see what
time the services finish so that old people, the young, parents
and so forth are being terrorised? This is not supporting
Palestine; this is antisemitism—this is attacking Jewish people.
I hope my right hon. Friend will call in the commissioner and
sort it out.
My hon. Friend is right to raise that issue. Gathering outside a
synagogue with the purpose of intimidating people coming out is
completely unacceptable. That is not protest; it is deliberate
intimidation, and it has no place on our streets whatsoever. The
police have substantial powers to act in this area; I will not
recite all the various sections and Acts, but the police have
numerous powers to act. We have regular meetings with policing
leaders—one is coming up in just a few days—and I will certainly
be raising this point. If my hon. Friend could send me a couple
of examples, I would be very happy to raise them with the
Metropolitan police in the coming days.
(Strangford) (DUP)
I thank the Minister for his statement, for his robust answers
and for his strength of purpose in supporting Jewish people
across the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
he is very clearly doing that. Have discussions taken place with
the devolved Administrations, in particular the Northern Ireland
Assembly, regarding a support fund for those who feel unsafe in
their current homes and need help to move to a safe place,
bearing in mind that we are now in a scenario where Jewish
families are staying indoors—afraid to go out unless it is
essential—due to so-called peace protesters who are making our
streets feel unsafe for a section of our community?
There is nothing peaceful about deliberately intimidating Jewish
people going to synagogues, as we discussed just a moment ago,
and I would be happy to look into the question of the funding
available for devolved Administrations to do work in this
area.
(Harrow East) (Con)
The shocking rise in antisemitic attacks reported by the CST is
bad enough, but the trouble is that that was last year and the
escalation has continued into this year. People in London suffer
the hate marches literally every Saturday—with banned
organisations displaying their flags, placards that are clearly
antisemitic and vile slogans uttered—and after those so-called
peaceful protests disperse, some protestors go and intimidate
people in the restaurants, bars and theatres throughout London,
so much so now that my Jewish constituents are afraid to go into
central London on a Saturday for fear of what they will suffer.
There is a solution to this, and that is that anyone who is
breaking the law should be arrested by the police. We did that in
2011, when there were the problems of the riots. Those people
should be arrested, put through courts—overnight if
necessary—with clear police evidence, and then jailed for their
crimes. It is not acceptable that such intimidation can take
place on our streets, when our people feel unsafe.
My hon. Friend is quite right; members of the Jewish community do
feel intimidated going into central London, particularly when the
marches are happening, and that is not right and is not
acceptable. No one should feel that intimidation when simply
coming into the centre of our capital city. He is quite right in
what he says about applying the law. There are numerous relevant
laws. He mentioned displaying banners of proscribed organisations
such as Hamas and now Hizb ut-Tahrir. Displaying those flags and
emblems is a criminal offence and we expect the police to make
arrests. Inciting racial hatred is a criminal offence. Causing
someone to suffer harassment, alarm or intimidation through
threatening or abusive language is a criminal offence. Causing
someone to fear violence is a criminal offence. We expect the
police to apply those laws not sometimes but always. They have
made 600 arrests so far already, and we are meeting them on a
highly regular basis, including later this week, to make sure
that those laws continue to be robustly applied, not just
sometimes but always, for all of the reasons my hon. Friend has
just eloquently laid out.
(North West Leicestershire)
(Ind)
Let us be clear: antisemitism, like other forms of racism, has no
place in the UK or elsewhere and the perpetrators of antisemitism
should face the full force of the law. Does the Minister agree
that, because an accusation of antisemitism is so serious, it
must not be made either lightly or casually? We must have cool
heads and not label groups or communities as antisemitic, because
that merely causes more division and more problems. We have to be
very careful how we use this word if we want to maintain the
public’s trust that people are not being falsely accused of
antisemitism.
No one today in this House, on either side, has labelled any
group collectively as antisemitic. This is about individuals and
their behaviour, and where individuals harass or intimidate
members of the Jewish community, where they engage in
antisemitism and where anyone engages in racism, we will call it
out, and where it is illegal, the police will make arrests and
prosecute it. This is about individual acts, which all of us I
hope collectively condemn. No one is tarring an entire community
at all; no one has done that on either side. This is about
calling out, tackling and where appropriate prosecuting
individual acts of antisemitism. They have sadly become only too
frequent in recent months, and the whole House should unite in
standing against that.
(South Dorset) (Con)
There is a growing and deeply unpleasant trend of personalising
protests. My right hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East
(Mr Ellwood) has been subjected to that recently, as have other
Members of the House. Just to raise his particular case, 80 or so
protesters were screaming right outside his door, with a police
car between them and his house, for over two hours. The police
did nothing. I personally think that is wrong, and that the
police need to get a grip and start arresting these people for
being intimidating. That is all it was: intimidation. It was not
a lawful protest in my view. Does my right hon. Friend the
Minister agree that the police are not doing enough to crack down
on such appalling behaviour?
What happened to my right hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth
East (Mr Ellwood) at his house was completely unacceptable. It
was intimidation; it was an attempt, I would suggest, to coerce a
Member of Parliament and inhibit him from doing his
democratically elected duty. I am sure everyone in the House
would unreservedly condemn the behaviour of that mob outside my
right hon. Friend’s house.
Various legal powers are relevant, including section 42 of the
Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, which gives the police the
power to direct people outside a person’s house to move if they
are behaving in a way that causes harassment, alarm or distress.
That would clearly have applied in this case. My right hon.
Friend the Minister for Security, who is in his place, and I
wrote to chief constables on precisely that point on 16 February,
just a few days ago, raising concerns and calling for robust
action. I believe we are having a discussion on that topic in
just a few days’ time. Members of Parliament at their home
addresses, constituency offices and surgeries need to be
protected because they are doing their democratic duty. Where
people seek to intimidate them, the police need to take extremely
strong action, because aggression against Members of Parliament
is an act of aggression against democracy itself and in my view
that makes it particularly serious.
(Burnley) (Con)
I welcome everything my right hon. Friend has set out today and
that the Government are trying to tighten the law where
necessary, but evidence suggests it is not yet working. Every
week we see protests and people marching through London with
placards with antisemitic, conspiratorial tropes—the same things
we saw in October, November, December and January. We know that
antisemitism is still running rife on university campuses, in
schools and in our communities. I urge my right hon. Friend to
look not just at how we deal with prosecutions and crime, but at
how we tackle the root causes and how we get into our schools,
educate people and try to rid society of this evil scourge once
and for all.
My hon. Friend is right. Where the law is broken, whether that is
inciting racial hatred, intimidation or harassment, the police
must act and make arrests, and they have arrested 600 people
already. That is necessary as a law enforcement response, but he
is right that we need to tackle the ideology at source. We need
to make sure that schools are teaching young people the right
thing and explaining what British values of tolerance actually
mean. The Department for Education is doing work in that area, as
is my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities, who is in the Chamber. We need to make
clear to every member of our society that antisemitism and
anti-Jewish racist hatred have no place in these islands of ours.
We must eradicate it wherever we find it.
(Ipswich) (Con)
This report from the Community Security Trust is deeply troubling
and depressing, as I think in some respects are aspects of our
politics. There is the fact that today a well respected Member of
this place is leaving because of anti-Jewish hatred. At the same
time, we have a by-election that has effectively become a
competition for who can be the biggest antisemite. That is deeply
chilling. Does the Minister agree that it is incumbent on all
political leaders and all political parties to show moral
strength, stand up for what is right, take on hatred and not
allow any element of their party to be captured by hatred,
whatever the short-term electoral or political temptation?
Yes, my hon. Friend is absolutely right. Political leaders in
particular have a special responsibility to act quickly, to act
decisively, and to act not when it is expedient but when it is
right. I was disappointed, as I have said, that the Leader of the
Opposition took 48 hours or longer to act in the case of the
Rochdale candidate. There is no excuse for that sort of delay. We
all have an obligation to do the right thing and to do it
quickly, whatever the circumstances.
Mr Deputy Speaker ( )
I thank those on the Government Front Bench and the Opposition
for their attention to a very serious issue.
Commons Point of
Order
Sir (Northampton North) (Con): On
a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker, in the past hour or so, the
charity Campaign Against Antisemitism has reported that a member
of the public sent off a birth certificate application to the
Home Office for his six-month-old baby girl and today the
certificate was returned ripped, with the word Israel as the place of
birth scribbled out. The Home Office is responsible for the
security of the Jewish community, and the pointers are that this
would have been done by a Home Office employee. How can I alert
the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the permanent
secretary to this appalling incident?
Mr Deputy Speaker ( )
First, the right hon. and learned Member will appreciate that
that is not a point of order for the Chair. However, if he has
something he wishes to raise directly with the Home Office, he
should most certainly do so. He has already placed his case on
the record in the presence of the Home Secretary.
