After the progress Starmer made on antisemitism, Burnham must hold the line
4 min read
The Jewish Labour Movement was founded in 1902 and affiliated to the Labour Party in 1920.
We are one of the party’s oldest, largest and most active affiliates, perhaps most well-known for taking the Labour Party to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which found the party responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination while under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. We represent the Jewish community within the Labour Party, and the Labour Party within the Jewish community.
When Keir Starmer won the Labour leadership in 2020, the first thing he did was apologise to the Jewish community and the country for the antisemitism that had been allowed to flourish under his predecessor’s leadership. He changed the Labour Party from the top down. From his clear and unambiguous understanding of both the scourge of antisemitism and his role as leader, the change was swift and decisive. It enabled a changed Labour Party to face the country, morally whole and serious about the communities we serve.
The past few years have come with their fair share of challenges to the Jewish community. A global tidal wave of antisemitism since 7 October 2023. Jews murdered in a synagogue and stabbed in the street. Community ambulances set on fire and petrol bombs thrown over the already high walls the Jewish community has been forced to build around itself.
Important steps have included record funding for the Community Security Trust for the protection of Jewish buildings, a well-received community cohesion strategy and policies to tackle antisemitism in the NHS and educational settings.
Andy Burnham, at the time of writing, is the only leadership contender and has a longstanding relationship with Manchester’s Jewish community. His response to the antisemitic terror attack at Heaton Park was empathetic and genuine. As Starmer’s potential successor, Burnham needs to hold the line on antisemitism, both as prime minister and Labour leader. We cannot rehash old, damaging arguments about whether those accused of antisemitism belong in the Labour Party. They do not.
The Jewish community needs reassurance that the politics of the Middle East doesn’t get imported to our shores
Within Westminster, the National Security (State Threats) Bill going through Parliament is an important step and needs to be followed by the swift proscription of the IRGC. The strong community cohesion strategy needs amplification. Antisemitism needs calling out and the number of incidents needs to fall. The police need the resources to keep British Jews safe.
The Jewish community needs reassurance that the politics of the Middle East doesn’t get imported to our shores, and that Israel and Palestine do not become a political wedge. Every time that happens, antisemitism skyrockets in the UK. That leadership starts from the top – setting clear boundaries about language that is and isn’t acceptable.
The next prime minister needs to surround himself with people who understand the issues facing our tiny, minority community, and not those who wish to push an agenda which may cause us harm. Keir Starmer did a good job with this, pushing policy forward on Israel and Palestine in a way that was considered, measured and had foreign policy, not prejudice, at its heart.
The Jewish community has always known that populism looks for scapegoats, and those scapegoats are often Jews. The Green Party and Reform UK are each pushing their own brand of radical populism that promises easy answers to complex and difficult challenges. The politics around Israel and Palestine are seen as a sop to the left but have real-world consequences for the Jewish community in the UK.
The Jewish Labour Movement’s ask is simple. We have been the Jewish affiliate of the Labour Party for over 100 years. We know our community and what we need. We will work with the next Labour prime minister for the betterment of our community. The challenges that the Jewish community faces are immense. Just as much as the Jewish community is looking at what the next prime minister, potentially Andy Burnham, will do in government, it will look at how they lead the Labour Party. Stand with us, work with us, and govern in the interests of all of us.
Ella Rose-Jacobs is national chair of the Jewish Labour Movement
