Good morning. Keir Starmer has declared antisemitism “a crisis for all of us”. This morning he is hosting an event in Downing Street intended to get leaders across all areas of public life to address the problem and, according to the briefing from No 10, he will say:
double quotation markLast week’s terrorist attack in Golders Green was utterly appalling. But it was not an isolated incident. It is part of a pattern of rising antisemitism that has left our Jewish communities feeling frightened, angry, and asking whether this country, their home, is safe for them.
These disgusting attacks are being made against British Jews. But, make no mistake, this crisis – it is a crisis for all of us. It is a test of our values. Values that are not guaranteed, but are earned. Every single day, through our actions.
Here is Pippa Crerar and Aamna Mohdin’s overnight story about this.
Last week, after the attack in Golders Green, the government announced an extra £25m “to boost police patrols, specialist officers, and protective security for Jewish communities - taking total funding to £58m, as well as £7m to tackle antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities”. This morning the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced a smaller funding boost for councils to coincide with the No 10 event. It says:
double quotation markJewish communities across England will receive a further £1m of government funding to tackle antisemitism and strengthen community cohesion in those places facing the greatest risk.
An immediate £500,000 will also be allocated to Barnet council, reflecting recent serious antisemitic incidents in the borough and the large number of Jewish residents there.
There has been an alarming rise in antisemitism both in this country and across much of the globe, including the horrific antisemitic terrorist attacks in Heaton Park and Bondi Beach last year, and an appalling spate of antisemitic attacks in North West London in recent weeks.
To tackle this, the additional funding being announced today will expand MHCLG’s Common Ground programme - which is already providing more than £4m to communities across the country.
The money can be used by councils on measures to counter antisemitism.
Morning: Keir Starmer hosts a meeting in Downing Street to discuss how to implement a whole-of-society response to rising antisemitism.
Morning: Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, is campaigning in Suffolk. In the afternoon she is in Coventry.
Noon: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
Noon: Paul Ovenden, Starmer’s former head of political strategy in No 10, speaks at a Policy Exchange event on how to reshape Britain.
Afternoon: Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, visits a synagogue in central London.
5pm: Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, and the party’s Welsh leader, Dan Thomas, speak at a rally in south Wales with a “special guest”.
If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (between 10am and 3pm), or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.
If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
