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 never to let anti-semitism take hold in the Labour Party again.

The Labour chief mentioned anti-semitism had taken “a new shape” in 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 Movement’s (JLM) convention on Sunday, Sir Keir mentioned: “Let me assure you we will never let anti-semitism sneak back into the Labour Party undercover.

“I see no greater cause in my leadership than this. This is my role.”

It got here as Sir Keir introduced ex-MP Luciana Berger would lead a psychological well being technique evaluate for the celebration, 4 years after she give up Labour blaming “a “sea of cases” of anti-semitism.

She rejoined Labour as a member final 12 months and was unveiled in the important thing position for the celebration on Sunday.

Ms Berger claimed Labour had “turned a significant corner” beneath Sir Keir’s management.

Ms Berger, who served as a shadow well being minister between 2013 and 2016, will current suggestions forward of the subsequent election about how to obtain Labour’s plans to forestall psychological ill-health.

It is one other signal of progress in Sir Keir’s drive to “tear out anti-semitism” from the “roots” of the Labour Party.

Addressing JLM members, Sir Keir mentioned 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 warfare in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 assaults, Sir Keir mentioned 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 sequence of high-profile marches throughout the nation, 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 mentioned.

And, in a warning in regards to the Conservative Party after the subsequent election, he mentioned he was “worried” about the place it would possibly go.

Right-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 instructed there could possibly be an extra lurch to the precise.

“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 mentioned.

Taking intention at Rishi Sunak and different senior Tories participating in fixed tradition 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 position with Labour, Ms Berger mentioned she was “delighted to be back working with my party”.

Ms Berger, who stood as a Liberal Democrat on the 2019 election and misplaced her seat, mentioned: “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.”