Funding may be cut to universities and councils that refuse to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism, Robert Jenrick announces on Holocaust Memorial Day

Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has revealed that, further to his calls on them to do so, only 136 of the 343 local authorities in England had agreed to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Mr Jenrick has also announced that those councils expressly refusing to adopt the Definition would be named in the coming weeks and that they can expect to lose public funding if they failed to tackle antisemitism.

He said that he has “been clear that all universities and local councils…must adopt” the Definition, adding that “it is shocking that some still haven’t, demonstrating a serious lack of respect for this issue.”

“I will shortly publish the list of those councils that have told my department that they will adopt the Definition and those who have explicitly refused to do so. Organisations like these should not expect to receive public money if they cannot demonstrate that they are fighting antisemitism.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism praises Mr Jenrick’s announcement and his recognition that remembrance of the Holocaust must be acommpanied by action against antisemitism today.

Mr Jenrick’s announcement comes as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick is under fire for refusing to adopt the Definition.

Meanwhile, the Government is providing a fund of £500,000 to pay for 150 student leaders to hear from Holocaust survivors and visit Auschwitz every year, with a view to sharing their experiences with 24,000 other students over the next three years. The fund will reportedly expand a scheme that identified 30 English universities reporting a high level of antisemitism or racism.

The Government is also providing £1 million to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation to mark 75 years since the liberation of the camps, in addition to £300,000 pledged by the Mayor of London.