Antisemitism an ‘urgent issue' for all of British society, Penny Mordaunt warns
Writing in the Telegraph newspaper, the pair described themselves as 'hard-nosed politicians' who are 'used to dealing with the extremes of human emotions and catastrophe'.
But they added: 'Even with decades of these experiences, we were still stunned into silence by the evidence that we received as independent chairs of the Board of Deputies Commission on Antisemitism, particularly from young people in the Jewish community.'
'This is an urgent issue not just for the Jewish community but for the United Kingdom as a whole,' the pair added.
They also said: 'We are all harmed if we tolerate the abuse of some of our fellow citizens by those who hold warped or extreme views.'
Their warnings of growing antisemitic prejudices across British society, from the NHS to arts organisations and the police, comes as the report they authored is set to be published on Tuesday.
Among its recommendations are that the NHS should hold a summit to tackle the 'specific unaddressed issue of antisemitism' within the health service.
Lord Mann and former defence secretary Dame Penny set out 10 recommendations calling for educators, public services and trade unions to do more to tackle antisemitism.
Among them was a recommendation for every NHS trust to have 'basic training on contemporary antisemitism'.
They stated: 'From evidence that we heard, we can identify that there is a specific unaddressed issue of antisemitism within the NHS. We recommend that a summit should be held with NHS leaders across the UK to begin to address this.'
They noted an 'identifiable lack of consistency and capacity in antisemitism training' and recommended the creation of a specific antisemitism training qualification, adding that such training should be included within equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in organisations and institutions.
Efforts to teach primary school teachers how to avoid passing on antisemitism and anti-Jewish tropes in their lessons should be rolled out in faith schools across the UK, the commission said.
It added that professional organisations and trade unions should ensure that all Jewish members are treated equally and with respect, while there must be a consistent approach taken by police when dealing with antisemitic crimes.
The commission said it had seen evidence of 'hidden barriers being put in front of Jewish involvement within the arts' and said there must always be a 'robust response for those who choose to discriminate and government at every level should ensure this'.
Lord Mann said: 'It is unacceptable that the Jewish community has faced an onslaught of antisemitism since October 7th.
'Whilst this is not new, the commission heard shocking experiences that we will not ignore. Antisemitism is racism and it must be treated as such. We hope these recommendations will provide additional guidance and action for civil society.'
Dame Penny said: 'No person should face abuse or discrimination whilst going about their business, whether it is pursuing the career of their choice or accessing public services.
'We wanted to suggest some very practical things that can be dealt with swiftly and will dramatically improve people's experiences.'
Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg said: 'Overall, the challenge in civil society can be summarised as one of a failure to apply the protections rightly afforded to different vulnerable groups equally to Jewish people in the same positions.
'Many sectors promote strong Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) processes, which are very important, but too often, these protections seem to exclude Jews.'
He said the board will insist that 'Jews must count' and will use the recommendations of the commission's report 'to ensure that they do'.
An NHS spokesperson said: 'It is completely unacceptable for anyone to experience racism, discrimination or prejudice in the health service, whether staff or patient, and the NHS takes any instance of antisemitism or discrimination extremely seriously.
'The NHS provides care and treatment for everyone regardless of race, faith, or background and all NHS healthcare providers should have policies in place to address issues like this in the workplace.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Snide comment about the SNP's lack of action was factually incorrect
There have been a plethora of similar self-proclaimed 'radical' and 'left' parties and groupings founded over the past 60 or so years, but none of them has gained any significant and/or sustained degree of traction. READ MORE: Jeremy Corbyn's new outfit won't back indyref2. No British party will The inescapable fact is that the 'working classes' and the various other target groups identified by those parties simply chose not to support or vote for them! Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana no doubt have noble aims behind their decision to form a new party of the left south of the Border but I fear that they, like some present-day Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, will end up tilting at inanimate windmills, having traversed an arid and inhospitable landscape. In his column Mark Brown also filled up space by having a customary pop at the SNP. I took particular issue with his snide comment that 'The party ... has never so much as broken a window in the cause of independence'. I appreciate that the incident may have taken place before Mark's time, but I recall Jim Sillars nursing a heavily bandaged cut arm and hand sustained while seeking – via a window – to enter and occupy the old Royal High School building in Edinburgh in 1981 as part of the SNP's then civil disobedience campaign. It is not only BBC Scotland that get their 'facts' wrong! Brian McGarry Inverkeithing IAIN K of Dunoon in his Long Letter (Jul 11) makes an important point about the House of Lords, and the iniquity of 'Lords Spiritual', ie, 26 English Anglican bishops, in particular, influencing decisions on Scotland within the British constitution. No Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish Anglican bishop sits in the House of Lords. Neither does any Roman Catholic bishop. It is the Scottish Episcopal Church that continues in communion with the Anglican family of churches, which includes the Episcopal Church in the USA, the first bishop of which was consecrated in Aberdeen by Scottish bishops in 1784. READ MORE: Ian Murray panned for 'disgraceful' U-turns as past motions resurface I recall two examples that The National has covered on English bishops in the House of Lords attempting to influence decisions upon Scotland: 1. 'Archbishop Sentamu to back UK's Brexit power grab on Holyrood' (March 22, 2018). 2. 'Lord [spiritual, Rt Rev, Julian Henderson, Bishop of Blackburn] suggests England should get a vote in 2023 Scottish independence referendum' (June 23, 2022). Another interesting point that Iain K provides is that the Church of England, until as late as 1870, was wary of providing schools for poor children as there was fear that an educated public could 'destabilise the establishment'. The reason I grew up in an Episcopalian family was because my late father, who was Aberdeenshire Liberal before joining with me to vote SNP with me on my first election in the 70s, commenced his education in 1920 at an Episcopal mission school in Peterhead. It was called the Chapel School. James M Aberdeen IT was certainly encouraging to read your article 'Government invests £85m to expand Hospital at Home service' (Jul 10), especially as the First Minister announced this investment while on a visit to Falkirk. However, why did I have to go to page 19 before I read such an important announcement, which ultimately impacts on us all, whether we have cause to use the wonderful services of our NHS or just assured that the service is there for us, free at the point of need? Catriona C Clark Falkirk WHY does Westminster make such a habit of looking at problems from the wrong end? Surely the right place to start looking for savings in the recent shambolic welfare pantomime is where the problems originate, within the management of the system? I saw figures from research some time ago which revealed that only 1% of payments made were fraudulent, but 7% were due to errors made by the department. Whether any of this is due to inefficient or too-complex systems, training of staff, understaffing or human error, it must be possible to reform the system, make it speedy and efficient, make it quick and easy to identify and reclaim any overpayments, and avoid most of them in the first place. Would this not save more than is proposed to be taken from the sick and disabled? P Davidson Falkirk YOUR leader of July 12 covers criticism of BBC Scotland for giving a prime slot to the 'small boats' story. Fair enough, but this never-ending immigration has (a) economic (b) demographic and (c) security repercussions here. READ MORE: BBC slated for pushing small boat crossings as top Scottish story To (a): Scots taxpayers have to stump up for accommodation and other costs; to (b): our population is now in overshoot due to increasing immigration by English folk, some of whom have moved from towns in which they no longer feel at home; and to (c): the security implications of the Channel being a barn door are huge. If I wished to avenge Gaza, I'd be smuggling in my people carrying phials of biotoxins, dirty bombs, etc etc, to be used anywhere in the UK (remember Glasgow Airport?). George Morton Rosyth
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I deliver emergency food parcels and have seen the look in parents' eyes'
Labour MP Chris Webb has said he has had parents break down in tears to him over being unable to feed their kids as he called for the two-child benefit limit to be scrapped The Labour MP for Blackpool South has said he has had parents break down in tears to him over being unable to feed their kids as he called for the two-child benefit limit to be scrapped. Chris Webb has ramped up the pressure on Keir Starmer after official stats this week showed nearly 1.7million kids are affected by the Tory-era policy. He said families in his area are skipping meals, kids are missing school and children are growing up in temporary accommodation and 'overcrowded, damp and unsafe houses'. 'The very basics – school shoes, formula milk, heating – are now luxuries many can't afford,' he said. 'I delivered emergency food parcels for families in crisis and still do. I've looked parents in the eye as they broke down in tears, ashamed they couldn't feed their children. 'And I've seen the demand spiral beyond anything we ever imagined. Food banks were meant to be a stopgap – they've become a lifeline.' Mr Webb called for the removal of the two-child benefit limit, which he described as 'a policy that has punished parents for the size of their family.' He praised the Government's expansion of free school meals to all children whose families are in receipt of Universal Credit. But he urged it to consider extending it to all children, saying 'universal provision would ensure no child goes hungry during the school day'. The Mirror is campaigning for all primary school children in England to have access to free school meals. Elsewhere Mr Webb urged ministers to be ambitious in its child poverty strategy, which is due to be published in autumn. 'We cannot afford another strategy that tinkers at the edges or repackages old ideas,' he said. Many Labour MPs oppose the two-child limit, which could become a new focal point for tensions between backbenchers and Downing Street. The policy, introduced in 2017, restricts claims for Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit to the first two children. On Thursday, DWP figures showed 1,665,540 children living in the households in England, Wales and Scotland were affected by the limit in April 2025, an increase of almost 40,000 - 37,150 - compared to the same time last year. Children's charities say the policy pushes 109 children across the UK into poverty every day. Ditching the police would lift 350,000 children out of poverty and mean 700,000 children are in less deep poverty, according to estimates from the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG). Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson last weekend(SUN) said axing the two-child benefit is still on the table, with the Government's child poverty strategy looking at 'every lever' to lift children out of hardship. But she admitted removing the policy would be harder to do after a major climbdown on the Government's welfare cuts, which has left a £5billion hole in Rachel Reeves's spending plans. Ms Phillipson said: "The decisions that have been taken in the last week do make decisions, future decisions harder. But all of that said, we will look at this collectively in terms of all of the ways that we can lift children out of poverty." A Government spokesman said: 'Children in Blackpool and across the UK should have the best start in life. The Child Poverty Taskforce will publish an ambitious strategy later this year to ensure we deliver fully funded measures that tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty across the country.' They pointed to action to roll out a national network of family hubs for children across the country as well as expanding free school meals and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Britain must hold Israel to account for settler violence in the West Bank
As the war in Gaza persists, the situation in the West Bank is in freefall, with increasing levels of settler violence and intimidation against Palestinians. Last week, the heads of churches in Taybeh, the last remaining Christian-majority town in the West Bank, spoke out against the series of systematic attacks by settlers on the town's land and holy sites, including St George's, its fifth-century church. As well as threatening the town's security and livelihood, these attacks undermine the dignity of its Christian residents and threaten their historical and religious heritage. Residents fear expulsion from their land and homes. This is part of a wider strategy of control and coercion rendering life unviable for Palestinians across the occupied territory. Successive Israeli governments have used settler violence as an informal tool to annex Palestinian land. The current Israeli government appears to support these violent settler acts through the military and police not intervening. As a rule, the military prefers to remove Palestinians from their land rather than confront settlers. Complaints are difficult to file. Few investigations are opened. Where indictments are made, it is for minor offences. Where convictions occur, the penalties are token. This culture of impunity rewards settler violence. There is no plausible deniability here – settlers aren't defying the state; they are doing its bidding. Settler violence is state violence by any other name. This situation must not continue. The UK government must stop its indecision and publish its legal response to last July's international court of justice advisory opinion that found Israel's presence in the occupied territory to be unlawful. It must intensify sanctions against individuals, illegal settler outposts and organisations that support violence against Palestinians in the occupied territory. But it also needs to hold the Israeli government to account by signalling its willingness to suspend the UK-Israel trade agreement. The UK government has a legal and moral duty to ensure Britain is taking all necessary steps to address settler violence, which threatens not just the peace of the region but the continued presence of Christians in this Holy Francis-Dehqani Bishop of Chelmsford, Rachel Treweek Bishop of Gloucester, Graham Usher Bishop of Norwich, Christopher Chessun Bishop of Southwark
