Former Tory minister Penny Mordaunt and Lord John Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, are to lead a wide-ranging Board of Deputies Commission looking into the continued rise of antisemitism in the UK, Jewish News understands.
The two political heavyweights will advise Board president Phil Rosenberg on a Commission which will also encompass a comprehensive review of hate crime legislation, policing and prosecution, including public order and safety.
Mordaunt, a former defence minister, served as Leader of the House of Commons from 2022 until 2024, and was MP for Portsmouth North from 2010 to 2024 before losing her seat at the last election.
She had frequently spoken out on antisemitism in the past, and is believed to be keen on a return to political life.
Phil Rosenberg
Lord Mann is widely respected as one of the most authoritative experts of efforts to combat antisemitism, with his role as an independent government adviser first given to him by former PM Theresa May, confirmed as now being central to Keir Starmer’s own work tackling Jew-hate.
Mann was Labour MP for Bassetlaw from 2001 until 2019, before leaving the party as vociferously criticising Jeremy Corbyn’s failure on antisemitism. He has since returned to Labour under Starmer, after sitting as an independent peer in the Lords.
A Westminster source praised the pair for agreeing to lead the Board’s commission saying “Mann and Mordaunt really offer much needed expertise and clarity on the issue at a critical time.”
Rosenberg had first pledged to establish the commission during his successful campaign to succeed Marie van der Zyl as Board president.
Ahead of the July general election the Board’s own manifesto pledged a review of “all hate crime legislation, policing, and prosecution, to ensure the toughest possible framework in place for offenders. This should include a review of the Public Order Act and the Online Safety Act, to keep our community safe on the streets and online.”
Last month at a communal event Rosenberg had spelt out the Board’s plans for a new commission on antisemitism, saying that it would encompass a comprehensive review of hate crime legislation, policing and prosecution, including public order and safety.
He added that there would also be “a sector by sector review of the failings in civil society since October 7, whether in the media, social media universities, workplaces, culture or sport”.
Rosenberg said that the Board would be making recommendations on how to tackle extremism, whether from Islamist, far right or far left sources, as well as scaling up interfaith work “to inoculate people against hatred and build understanding”.
