[ad_1]
Sir Keir Starmer has warned of a rise in anti-Jewish racism as he vowed never to let anti-semitism take hold in the Labour Party again.
The Labour leader said anti-semitism had taken “a new shape” in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 terror attacks on Israel, with those who “hate Jews” hiding behind pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Addressing the Jewish Labour Movement’s (JLM) conference on Sunday, Sir Keir said: “Let me assure you we will never let anti-semitism sneak back into the Labour Party undercover.
Sir Keir Starmer vowed never to let anti-semitism take hold in the Labour party again
(PA Wire)
“I see no greater cause in my leadership than this. This is my role.”
It came as Sir Keir announced ex-MP Luciana Berger would lead a mental health strategy review for the party, four years after she quit Labour blaming “a “sea of cases” of anti-semitism.
She rejoined Labour as a member last year and was unveiled in the key role for the party on Sunday.
Ms Berger claimed Labour had “turned a significant corner” under Sir Keir’s leadership.
Ms Berger, who served as a shadow health minister between 2013 and 2016, will present recommendations ahead of the next election about how to achieve Labour’s plans to prevent mental ill-health.
Luciana Berger praised Sir Keir’s efforts to remove anti-semitism from the party
(PA Archive)
It is another sign of progress in Sir Keir’s drive to “tear out anti-semitism” from the “roots” of the Labour Party.
Addressing JLM members, Sir Keir said he has “dragged my party away from that abyss and I will never let Britain go anywhere near it either”.
“This country will be safe for you and your children,” he promised.
Addressing Israel’s war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attacks, Sir Keir said British anti-semitism was not “born the day after” the killing spree.
“But nonetheless, after October the 7th we can all see that it’s taking a new shape,” he added.
And after a series of high-profile marches across the country, in protest at Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, he addressed Jews who “can see hate marching side by side with calls for peace”.
“We understand that to be targeted for who you are, and attacked for things beyond your control, for your children to be afraid to walk the street or go to school is the greatest anxiety that a parent or a community can face,” Sir Keir said.
And, in a warning about the Conservative Party after the next election, he said he was “worried” about where it might go.
Right-wing Tories have used increasingly divisive language in recent months, and with a leadership contest expected if the Conservatives lose power, Sir Keir suggested there could be a further lurch to the right.
“I worry about where it might go because the politics of division don’t help the Jewish community, and they’ve never helped the Jewish community,” he said.
Taking aim at Rishi Sunak and other senior Tories engaging in constant culture wars, he warned that it “can easily boil over”. “I’m not sure the Tories can be trusted on that anymore… I don’t know if they see the consequences,” he added.
Accepting her new role with Labour, Ms Berger said she was “delighted to be back working with my party”.
Ms Berger, who stood as a Liberal Democrat at the 2019 election and lost her seat, said: “Millions of people are experiencing poor mental health, without the necessary support to recover.
“The absence of a proper plan to address the causes of poor mental health requires urgent attention. Labour’s commitment to deliver a cross-government long-term strategy to tackle mental ill-health is an important step towards gripping this issue, and I am really excited to be leading this work.”
[ad_2]
Source link