Sir Keir Starmer’s record on antisemitism: a mixed bag
In his resignation speech this morning, Sir Keir Starmer said: “Six years ago I inherited a party that was…morally bankrupt.”
He elaborated, declaring: “We changed our Party, ripping out the poison of antisemitism.”
The reality is that Sir Keir’s record on antisemitism is a very mixed bag.
He sat in the antisemite Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet for years and backed him to become Prime Minister. Only later, following electoral defeat and then the EHRC report, which followed our referral, did he decide that the Party had become “morally bankrupt” and needed antisemitism torn out “by its roots”.
To his credit, he then did change the Party in relation to antisemitism from what it was under Mr Corbyn, who, to underscore the scale of the change, is no longer even a member.
Still, the Party has more to do – year on year in our polling of British Jews it is viewed as more tolerant of antisemitism among its officeholders than any other. The remedial job is not over. But Sir Keir deserves gratitude for starting that process.
Addressing antisemitism in a political party is one thing. Confronting it in society is another, and far more urgent.
On that score, Sir Keir, like his predecessor, has been a failure. Antisemitism in Britain has surged to levels unknown in living memory. That has taken place under the watch of this Government and the last one, across two parties, with no end in sight.
Not only has far too little been done, even after repeated promises, but Sir Keir’s Government has even taken measures that have made matters worse, with some foreign policy declarations pouring fuel on the fire.
As the country looks forward, addressing this shocking extremism in our society must be a top priority for Sir Keir’s successor.
CAA will be there every step of the way, to support the right policies and call out the failures.
Elsewhere in British politics
Restore Britain
Reports that Restore Britain receives funding from far-right individuals are deeply concerning.
According to The Telegraph, among Restore’s backers are:
- Steve Laws, who reportedly describes himself as the founder of Remigration Now, which apparently calls for the expulsion of every non-white and Jewish person from Britain.
- Jared Taylor, an American who has previously been banned from the UK because of his extreme views.
- Sam Melia, founder of the far-right Hundred Handers who was jailed in 2024 for stirring up racial hatred.
- Sam Wilkes, a YouTuber and alleged Nazi apologist.
- Simon Birkett, who has links to the far-right Patriotic Alternative and leads The Woodlander Initiative, a land-buying scheme reportedly inspired by a racially exclusive settlement in South Africa.
Rupert Lowe, who leads Restore Britain, has called this reporting a smear.
That is not a denial, nor is it an acknowledgement of how damaging an association with these extremist figures can be. They should be nowhere near any political party that imagines itself to be mainstream.
Green Party
Meanwhile, the controversial Greens for Palestine faction of the Green Party, which has been lobbying for a motion to equate Zionism and racism, is revealed by The JC to have reportedly demanded of their Jewish peers that they liberate their minds from the supposed “supremacist grip of Zionism.”
80% of British Jews identify as Zionists; only 6% do not, according to our representative polling.
They also allegedly called on Jewish Greens to “apologise” for the actions of the Israeli Embassy, “retract” press stories that were critical of the Green Party but with which Jewish Greens had no connection, and that they “unequivocally condemn” the referral of members to counter-terror police.
The notion that Jewish people have control over the media is a well-known trope covered by the International Definition of Antisemitism, as is “Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel.”
Greens for Palestine reportedly declined mediation with Jewish Greens.
When the motion to equate Zionism and racism was first mooted a few months ago — harkening back to the worst chapter in the UN’s history — we warned that it would introduce an official litmus test for Jewish people in a major political party. The alleged insistence by the Greens for Palestine that Jewish Greens distance themselves from Zionism just in order to join mediation efforts with this hateful Palestine faction shows that we were right.
It is despicable that the motion has not been categorically rebuffed by Party leaders and its proposers expelled from the Greens. Were the motion to be accepted by the Party, it would be atrocious and represent a new low in British politics for the Jewish community.
Our polling late last year already showed that 76% of British Jews thought that the Green Party is too tolerant of antisemitism among their officeholders.
This is hardly likely to improve matters.
Aspire
Finally, apparently Abul Monsur is no longer a member of Aspire but he is a member of the Aspire group on Tower Hamlets Council.
That sounds worse.
Cllr Monsur was reported to have posted appalling rhetoric on social media over the course of last year, including a post that appeared to cross out the word “Holocaust” and replace it with “Holohoax”. He has apologised for the posts, reportedly saying that he was not thinking straight.
By the time the Aspire Party suspended him, it was too late to remove his name from the ballot in last month’s local elections and he was elected. Now he apparently sits with his former colleagues in their Group on the Council, although he is reportedly not invited to Group activities.
That doesn’t sound like zero tolerance.
Some progress on the IRGC ban
We are grateful to the many Parliamentarians in both Houses of Parliament who have been pushing for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be proscribed.
We have often shared their speeches. Here, for example, is Labour MP Luke Akehurst making the argument last week.
We have backed this campaign, as have so many of you who have signed our petition in recent months.
We are grateful that the Government is finally laying the groundwork to proscribe the IRGC in Britain. Ministers pledged to do so two years ago prior to the general election. Only after the EU did has the Government started to move on this.
We thank the current Home Secretary for taking this on.
Ironically, the Government may now be moving too quickly, having lost two years to think about the right legislation and now rushing through a quick draft.
As Shadow Minister for Home Affairs Alicia Kearns has pointed out here, this Bill must have teeth.
This legislation cannot become a tick-box exercise: it must be the beginning of ridding this country of insidious Iranian influence and terrorism and support for it on our streets, whether that terrorism is conducted by the IRGC itself or its many proxies.
Are you a student? Apply to become a CAA Student Ambassador now!
Only 3% of British Jews are confident that if a Jewish student reported an antisemitic incident on campus, the university’s administration would take appropriate action.
That is why our Student Ambassadors, who are on the frontlines in the fight against antisemitism, are so important.
We spoke to some outgoing and prospective ambassadors, to see how they are feeling about antisemitism on campus. Watch what they told us here.
Applications for our 2026-27 Student Ambassador programme are now open!
As a CAA Student Ambassador you will:
- Work with our team to monitor antisemitism on your campus and provide tangible support to your peers
- Take part in networking opportunities with like-minded activists
- Develop career-enhancing skills and experience
- And more!
Applications are considered on a rolling basis, so don’t delay to find out more and apply at antisemitism.org/student-ambassadors.
If you are not a student, please share the link with Jewish or non-Jewish students whom you feel could be real assets in this fight and would gain a lot from participating in it.
Jewish students at UCL deserve better
University College London has announced that it will be dissolving the position of Antisemitism Programme Manager.
The post, which was the first of its kind at a British university, aimed to support Jewish students at UCL and deliver training sessions across the University, which has seen a significant number of antisemitism allegations and incidents and hostility towards and intimidation of Jewish students.
By establishing this position back in 2022, it looked as if UCL was taking real steps to address the growing issue of antisemitism on its campus. It also hosted the first antisemitism awareness week at a British university back in March, in collaboration with CAA’s own Student Ambassadors, albeit this was disappointingly not actively supported by the University.
Axing this position is a big step backwards and sends precisely the wrong message at a time of surging racism against Jews.
Student concerns will now instead be flagged to the “equality, inclusion and care department”, which has faced its own very serious allegations.
According to our polling, only 3% of British Jews are confident that if a Jewish student reported an antisemitic incident on campus, the university’s administration would take appropriate action.
UCL’s decision will do nothing to reassure the Jewish community or its students.
If you’re at UCL, you can help. Apply to become a CAA Student Ambassador today, and help us keep up the fight!
What if juries are no longer our peers?
Lately, there have been a number of inexplicable jury decisions that have hindered the fight against antisemitism.
Two women have been acquitted on charges of intending or likely to stir up racial hatred in relation to threatening chants allegedly shouted at a Palestine Solidarity Campaign demonstration in October 2023.
Hadjer Boumazouna, 37, and Fatiha Boumazouna, 53, both from Croydon, were accused of shouting the notorious “Khaybar Khaybar” chant, allegedly captured in footage which was screened at Southwark Crown Court last week, two and a half years after the alleged incident.
“Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud” translates as: ‘Jews, remember the battle of Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning.’ It refers to the massacre and expulsion of the Jews of Khaybar in 628 CE and is plainly a battle cry against Jews.
The chant is unmistakably threatening to Jewish people. But a jury apparently disagreed.
This is the second time that a prosecution by the CPS of people who allegedly chanted this has failed.
Nothing, it seems, can possibly be construed as being threatening to Jewish people if it means someone might be held to account.
In another scandalous jury decision, a jury failed to reach a verdict in a case of alleged criminal damage by four Palestine activists in relation to an incident at a Moog defence manufacturing facility near Wolverhampton.
The individuals are allegedly affiliated with Palestine Martyrs for Justice, yet another Palestine activist group. They were arrested after breaking into the factory in August 2025, over its alleged arms exports to Israel. All four admitted breaking into the factory, but maintained that their actions were lawful.
Political activism is not a licence to damage property. This outcome sends the appalling message that alleged criminal action carries minimal consequences if carried out ‘for Palestine’.
A recent trial of activists who broke into an Elbit Systems factory also resulted in a hung jury. The CPS successfully pursued a retrial in that case. It must do so here as well.
Speaking of the Elbit factory break-in, CAA has uncovered plans to mark the second anniversary of that August 2024 Palestine Action incident by shutting the factory down again on 6th August. We have reported the plans to local police and Counter Terrorism Policing.
No reassurance from Travelodge
Another perpetrator of antisemitism has escaped accountability, this time courtesy of Travelodge.
Earlier this month, two identifiably Jewish guests were met with a “Free Palestine” message on their television screen when they checked into their room at Travelodge’s London Manor House branch.
Now, Travelodge has said that it is closing its investigation into the incident, claiming that it is unable to determine how the message was placed on the guests’ TV. A police investigation into the incident has also apparently been closed.
This is an unacceptable outcome. It is astonishing that, in a small hotel where only a limited number of staff are likely to have access to the relevant television equipment and CCTV is readily available, Travelodge finds itself unable to identify the perpetrator.
Jewish people deserve to feel safe and respected when staying in hotel accommodation. This was a deliberate, targeted attack intended to make Jewish guests feel unwelcome because of their identity.
We urge the police and Travelodge to reopen their investigations to ensure that those responsible can be identified and held accountable.
Why are so many doctors opposed to fighting antisemitism?
The British Medical Association’s annual conference is taking place this week.
On the agenda? A motion calling to investigate the adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism in the NHS, and its supposed negative impact on free speech.
Antisemitism is rife in the NHS. Jewish practitioners and patients have been intimidated by NHS staff, and multiple doctors have been suspended over their extremist rhetoric in relation to Jews.
Jews should not have to worry about their safety and fair treatment in medical institutions.
The BMA – the medical practitioners’ union – should not be entertaining this motion, let alone endorsing it when it is debated tomorrow.
Thank you to those who ran for us yesterday
Thank you to the many who ran for CAA at the Maccabi GB Community Fun Run yesterday.
Their generosity and athleticism means that we are better equipped in the long and arduous fight against antisemitism, a marathon rather than a sprint.
We had a great time at our stall, and thank you to everyone who visited us there!
If you want to be like our great runners, you can support CAA too. Just visit antisemitism.org/donate.
CAA goes to the opera!
If sports aren’t your thing – and even if they are – then perhaps the arts are.
CAA is proud to host renowned soprano Ilona Domnich in an evening of Jewish pride, resilience and beautiful music.
Ilona will share her story as a Jewish performer whose refusal to stay silent in the face of hatred and lies following 7th October 2023 resulted in her increasingly being shunned by her colleagues, and excluded from the profession she loves.
There are still tickets available for this special event on Wednesday 8th of July, “Ilona Domnich: in concert and in conversation.”
There will be an appeal on the night, with the donations received going towards our work supporting people like Ilona who must not be left to fight the antisemites alone.
For more information, and to book your tickets, please click the link here.
Here’s to fathers
This weekend, as well as supporting those running for CAA at the Maccabi Fun Run, we also celebrated Father’s Day.
Being a Jewish father in contemporary Britain, where the safety of your child can be in doubt simply because of who they are, is not easy.
So here’s to all the Jewish dads who are there for their kids in good times and bad, and to all the non-Jewish dads who teach their children to stand with their Jewish friends and represent the very best of this country.
