Keir Starmer and his inner circle are accused of under-estimating the scale of communal solidarity with Israel at war, during Labour’s first months in power.
The party leadership did not foresee the backlash from a sizable section of the community, including life-long Labour supporters, as they announced a series of tough foreign policy announcements about Israel, it is now claimed.
Nearly six months after Starmer was elected Prime Minister, Jewish News spoke to communal leaders, business figures, and with parliamentarians to access their reactions to the the government so far.
A frequently held view that emerged was the failure of the Starmer government in the immediate months after the July election triumph to read the mood of a significant majority of British Jews.
In the run-up to the October 7th Hamas atrocity, criticism of Israel’s far-right coalition under Benjamin Netanyahu had indeed reached unprecedented levels, including here in the UK.
But following the Hamas massacre of over 1200 men, women and children in Gaza, Jews across the globe putting the objections to Netanyahu to one side – as Israel faced multiple security threats, from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and ultimately from the regime in Tehran.
“Labour made the age-old mistake of only listening to the voices within the Jewish community it wanted to hear over Israel,” one parliamentarian reasoned as they spoke to Jewish News in Westminster last week.
“If Jeremy Corbyn was drawn to the voices of the small slither of anti-Zionist Jews in this country, the Starmer project has been perhaps overly sympathetic to the admittedly not insignificant chunk of Jews who hold what one might describe as ‘soft-left’ views on Israel.
“These people are outspoken in their opposition to Netanyahu, and unafraid to attach themselves to campaigns around issues like occupation in the West Bank.
“These are all legitimate concerns.
“To me, the mistake the Labour have made since coming to power is in wanting to believe that this is the dominant viewpoint of UK Jews.
“I think they recognise this now”.
Keir Starmer meets Israeli president Isaac Herzog
Another lifelong Labour supporter and communal figure suggested the government had failed to understand that the connection between UK Jewry and Israel exists “at a very emotional, visceral level” even while concerns about the way the war in Gaza has been conducted are evident.
“You would be hard pushed to find too many British Jews supporting the far-right ideals of Israeli ministers like Smotrich and Ben-Gvir,” they reasoned. “Many haven’t dropped their concern with the direction of travel taken by the Netanyahu government in Israel.”
But explaining negative reactions to the government’s stance on Israel, the source added: “If you had a member of your family who was badly behaving, you could disapprove of their conduct, you might even want to discipline them yourselves, and you might have strong words in private.
“But if you see a third party taking them to task, you end up feeling protective of the family member. This is a natural response.”
Another well-known community figure who spoke to Jewish News on the condition they remained anonymous was even more blunt.
“The problem for Labour, and perhaps a problem for the community itself, is that a significant number of us are socially liberal on a vast range of issues, be it Europe, or whatever,” they said.
“But when it comes to Israel, using the party political spectrum as a measure, many of us are probably nearer the Reform UK side than we would like to admit”.
But it would be wrong to suggest there was not an insignificant section within the community who believes the government needed to take a more critical line towards the Israeli government.
And that it has been correct to stress a commitment to both the rule of law and to the importance of international law.
Sir Keir Starmer taking part in Mitzvah Day 2021 (photo credit: Tom Pullen)
With Starmer’s background as a human rights lawyer and with Attorney General Richard Hermer’s career before entering Westminster following a similar path, and with the foreign secretary’s own background in law, some communal figures who spoke to this newspaper said it was “hardly a surprise that after coming to power this government has taken the direction it has on Israel”.
“The only surprise is that there are people who are now surprised,” laughed one Conservative leaning source.
Others point to the fact that criticism of the Israeli government’s war against Hamas in Gaza has grown within the UK community, as it has elsewhere, with the loss of too many innocent lives as the conlict continues for longer than most wanted or expected it to.
Anger at the conduct of the settlers in the West Bank and fears over far-right annexation plans have left some progressive Jews calling for a tougher stance to Israel’s far-right coaltion government
In October this year, when JW3 in north London was the venue for a conference put on by the Yachad organisation in coordination with Haaretz newspaper, the event was massively over-subscribed.
The clear message emerging from the event, marred by an ugly pro-Palestine demo outside, was a near-unanimous call for the UK government to get tougher on Israel, and to bring in sanctions against far-right ministers.
The audience was not made up of far-left anti-Zionists, but represented the voice of the soft-left in the community.
Demo outside JW3 during Haaretz conference
Members of the Jewish Labour Movement, Jewish News understands, have been less outspoken on the policies of the Starmer government in relation to Israel and the Palestinians.
One Jewish Labour source said it was important that communal leaders also noted that there was still not insignificant support within UK Jewry for the line taken by the Starmer government towards Israel and increasingly critical voices over the way the war against Hamas has been conducted.
“Some of us have longed for a government that took a more critical stance to Netanyahu, and everything he represents,” Jewish News was told by one Jewish Labour activist.
“Many of us felt the Conservative’s failure to call out the excesses of the Netanyahu government was not only morally wrong but an actual existential threat to diaspora Jewry.
“We are not Jews on the fringes of the community either. We are active, shul going, very involved members of the community.
“If our community leaders are not representing our views when they meet with the government, then that’s a problem also”.
Another youth activist said:”It worries me that at these meetings with government ministers, our established communal leaders are failing to put across our opinion”.
Despite sweeping back into power with support from within the community at levels not seen since Tony Blair, there is a sense of disappointment at the performance of the PM.
Along with significant anger, both from within the Jewish charitable sector and wider business community, over Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s budget – which raised employers’ national insurance contributions, and lowered tax thresholds.
Rachel Reeves with arm around Noam Safir following her and Sharone Lifschitz’s speeches
Some now suggest support for Labour within the community has dipped back to levels seen under Ed Miliband, although this seems to be an over-exaggeration with Starmer only in power for nearly six months.
Continued concerns about high levels of antisemitism across the country, with a perceived failure of both government and police to effectively tackle the issue, has only heightened the sense of anger and alienation from Labour amongst many in the community.
One communal figure, previously happy to declare their support for Starmer ahead of the election, told us this week: “I thought we were getting the next Tony Blair with Keir. We have got something closer to Ed Miliband.”
Another Labour backer, firmly on the party’s right wing politically, said: “I wish I could say I was disappointed in what I’ve seen since Keir Starmer entered Downing Street. But that would be pretending I ever had high hopes for him as PM when I didn’t”.
Meanwhile, a lifelong Labour activist and communal figure said of Starmer:”He is nowhere near the orator of Blair or Brown—he’s quite cold, yes”.
Responses from those within the business world were also negative.
“I can see what they are trying to do commercially”, one pro-Labour industrialist told Jewish News, reflecting on the efforts of both Starmer, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves to spark economic growth through transport and house-building projects. “I just don’t think there is sufficient experience and know-how in the Prime Minister’s cabinet to be able to pull it off, yet”.
Daragh Coleman, a former Tory donor, tells Ed Miliband he has joined the Labour Party in protest at the failure of the government on net zero.
Another communal source, with significant cross-political influence, admitted some of the former Conservative-supporting businessmen and women they knew, who had been persuaded to switch parties in July after giving up on the previous government had already decided to walk away from Labour.
Attending a recent business conference, the same source revealed: “Some said to me the Starmer government was proving to be too much like the one Ed Miliband might have wanted to lead. It’s all a bit too soft left.
“I also spoke there with some very right-wing business types who said they were furious with the last Tory government and had been persuaded to back Labour, mainly by Rachel and Keir.
“These same people are really p*ssed off again now”.
Condemnation, as well as a sense that the foreign secretary David Lammy has “left the community down”, is also easy to pick up.
After he confirmed September’s arms license suspensions in the Commons, Lammy could have expected to have made himself a target of often spiteful remarks from some of the more vocal elements on the right wing of the community.
But the Tottenham MP now also faces claims from one-time supporters in the community that he has failed to display his credentials as a self-confessed “liberal Zionist” in the role.
Photographed alongside the mother of Gaza hostage Emily Damari at the Labour Friends of Israel annual reception earlier this month. Less than two hours later it became apparent that Lammy is also suffering as a result of poor communication with some of his media team in the foreign office.
Keir Starmer meets Mandy Damari at LFI lunch event
A social media post put out on X shortly after he was pictured with his arm around Mandy Damari made no mention of the continued horrendous ordeal for the hostages and instead referenced only the “unacceptable humanitarian situation in Gaza” for Palestinians.
This unfortunate communications slip-up did not go unnoticed by Labour MPs either, some telling Jewish colleagues working in Westminster that they understood the upset caused by those in charge of Lammy’s social media feed.
Conservative supporters in the community have also made much of the UK’s recent vote in favour of a motion in the United Nations, the text of which appeared to stop just short of suggesting a Gaza ceasefire could only happen if the hostages were released.
Blame for the vote was, predictably, directed at Starmer and Lammy, ignoring the fact that contentious votin by the UK at the UN, usually deeply critical of Israel, was also a reality under the Tory government.
But it would also be quite wrong to suggest the Starmer government has been written off entirely by the Jewish community ahead of its late Chanukah celebrations this year.
David Lammy meets Benjamin Netanyahu
One senior communal source, known for their pro-Israel stance, told Jewish News:”Nearly six months into office, the government faces a choice.
“If it wants to influence events on the ground – and help promote a sustainable regional peace – it needs to be seen as a fair and honest broker.
“Sadly, however, both its rhetoric and its actions – on arms sales, UN votes and the ICC – are too often failing to meet that test.
“The government can forge a principled and consistent approach to the region, which will earn it influence and trust, or it can attempt to appease Israel’s implacable opponents here at home – but it can’t do both”.
But some of the government’s loyal supporters have told Jewish News they believe the differences policy-wise between this government and the previous Tory one in relation to Israel have been exaggerated, sometimes for political reasons.
When Lammy announced the UK was restoring funding to the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA in July, saying he had received reassurances about its neutrality in the wake of a review of alleged links between its staff and Hamas, many overlooked the fact that Andrew Mitchell, the former Tory government’s foreign minister, had confirmed this was going to happen in a Commons speech he made back in May.
Former foreign secretary David Cameron also recently confirmed that he was “working up” sanctions against Israeli far-right ministers prior to the general election being called.
And while the previous UK government under Rishi Sunak said it had applied to submit objections to the International Criminal Court after chief prosecutor Karim Khan sought arrest warrants against Hamas leaders as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, when Labour took power it emerged that no actual legal objection had been filed.
Andrew Mitchell MP
Criticism that the Starmer government is proving less effective at dealing with the problem of rising antisemitism is also challenged by some communal figures who have been engaging closely with ministers on the issue especially in the past two months.
A source familar with security issues in relation to the UK community reasoned it had taken up to four months for the new government to settle down, having been in opposition for such a long time.
“With all the fuss over Sue Gray, it wasn’t easy to sit down with ministers at first to enagage in serious talks about issues like the continued problems with antisemtism,” said the source.
“The relationships were there, but as with any new government it felt like there was distractions.
“The past two months have been different though. We are having serious talks on serious issues at the very highest level.
“Starmer’s government are not letting the community down in this respect – there is a genuine desire to get to grips with the antisemitism problem in this country.
“Ministers are also willing to listen to criticism, in a way that perhaps the previous government weren’t”.
Another community representative, not previously known as a Labour supporter, was also similarly encouraged.
“From a communal perspective we have actually been very reassured by the way the government are looking to combat antisemitism,” they said.
“Look at what most of the cabinet ministers, and the Prime Minister have said, and what they are actually doing on the issue.
“Look at the way Wes Streeting came out at the weekend and called for NHS bosses to sack staff who were found to have been antisemitic. This is significant stuff.
“I was contacted by another publication who was trying to drum up a story suggesting Labour and the Jewish community were heading for divorce.
“I said I had to take issue with that stance. Apart from the obvious gap around Israel, I think the government is doing very well on a domestic level. It’s just around the policy on the Middle East where the real differences can be found”.
Sec.-of-State-for-Health-and-Social-Care-Wes-Streeting-speaking-at-Jewish-Cares-Patrons-Briefing
Justin Grainge Photography
While another source from the communal charity sector said the government should be given far more than six months to deal with problems around the pro-Palestine demos, arguing that the “police often can’t enforce laws that are too vague, or don’t exist”.
“In terms of rising antisemitism, the PM’s door and the Home Secretary’s door is open to listen to the community’s concerns, as is the Mayor of London’s, or Andy Burnham’s. They get it, ” they added.
“It’s about determining where this line needs to be drawn in law. There is leadership here. And there’s more leadership probably than there was under the previous government.
“People are right to be worried about rising antisemitism, it’s real.
“But if it was a quick fix the Tories, who repeatedly positioned friends of the community, would have fixed it while they were still in power”.
There is also further optimism in recent weeks over the government’s willingness to open its doors to community representatives and hold meetings to listen to a wide range of concerns.
The PM, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy have all met with sizable delegations this month, leaving those attending with near-unanimous praise for the way the government is seeking to tackle the disgraceful rise of antisemitism in the aftermath of October 7th.
Significantly, some of these meetings have also seen frank discussions on the government’s stance towards Israel being raised.
It is also clear that important organisations such as CST enjoy as good and close a relationship with this government as they did with the last one.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer poses with the choir of Alma Primary as he hosts a reception to celebrate Chanukah at 10 Downing Street, London. Picture date: Wednesday December 18, 2024. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Alistair Grant/PA Wire
Another sign that tensions over the government’s foreign policy stance on Israel were starting to subside came at the Downing Street Chanukah reception hosted by the PM this week and attended by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.
Back in July Mirvis had expressed “deep concern” over the new government’s apparent tougher stance over Israel, and previously good relations between and Starmer appeared to have broken down.
Tellingly, as Starmer delivered a well-received speech inside No.10 on Wednesday night, the PM praised Mirvis, who was stood next to him, for his “wise counsel”.
