Keir Starmer warns of rising antisemitism and vows never to let it take hold in Labour again

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Sir Keir Starmer has warned of an increase in anti-Jewish racism as he vowed by no means to let antisemitism take maintain within the Labour Occasion once more.

The Labour chief mentioned antisemitism had taken “a brand new form” within the wake of Hamas’s October 7 terror assaults on Israel, with those that “hate Jews” hiding behind pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Addressing the Jewish Labour Motion’s (JLM) convention on Sunday, Sir Keir mentioned: “Let me guarantee you, we are going to by no means let antisemitism sneak again into the Labour Occasion beneath cowl.

“I see no better trigger in my management than this. That is my function.”

It got here as Sir Keir introduced that ex-MP Luciana Berger would lead a evaluate of the occasion’s psychological well being technique, 4 years after she give up Labour blaming “a “sea of circumstances” of antisemitism.

She rejoined Labour as a member final 12 months, and her appointment to the important thing function was introduced on Sunday.

Ms Berger claimed that Labour had “turned a big nook” beneath Sir Keir’s management.

The previous MP, who served as a shadow well being minister between 2013 and 2016, will current suggestions forward of the subsequent election on how Labour ought to fulfil its plan to deal with psychological sickness.

It’s one other signal of progress in Sir Keir’s drive to “tear out antisemitism” from the “roots” of the Labour Occasion.

Addressing JLM members, Sir Keir mentioned he had “dragged [the] occasion away from that abyss”, including that he would “by no means let Britain go wherever close to it both”.

“This nation can be protected for you and your kids,” he promised.

Addressing Israel’s warfare in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s 7 October assaults, Sir Keir mentioned British antisemitism was not “born the day after” the killing spree.

“However nonetheless, after October the seventh we will all see that it’s taking a brand new form,” he added.

And after a collection of high-profile marches throughout the nation in protest at Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, he addressed Jews who “can see hate marching facet by facet with requires peace”.

“We perceive that to be focused for who you’re, and attacked for issues past your management, in your kids to be afraid to stroll the road or go to highschool, is the best anxiousness {that a} father or mother or a neighborhood can face,” Sir Keir mentioned.

In a warning about the way forward for the Conservative Occasion after the subsequent election, he mentioned he was “apprehensive” about the place it would go.

Proper-wing Tories have used more and more divisive language in latest months, and with a management contest anticipated if the Conservatives lose energy, Sir Keir steered there could possibly be an additional lurch to the fitting.

“I fear about the place it would go, as a result of the politics of division don’t assist the Jewish neighborhood, and so they’ve by no means helped the Jewish neighborhood,” he mentioned.

Taking intention at Rishi Sunak and different senior Tories for partaking in tradition wars, he warned that divisive politics “can simply boil over”. “I’m undecided the Tories might be trusted on that any extra… I don’t know in the event that they see the results,” he added.

Accepting her new function, Ms Berger mentioned she was “delighted to be again working with my occasion”.

Ms Berger, who stood as a Liberal Democrat within the 2019 election and misplaced her seat, mentioned: “Hundreds of thousands of individuals are experiencing poor psychological well being with out the mandatory assist to get better.

“The absence of a correct plan to deal with the causes of poor psychological well being requires pressing consideration. Labour’s dedication to ship a cross-government long-term technique to deal with psychological ill-health is a crucial step in direction of gripping this challenge, and I’m actually excited to be main this work.”