It is quite shocking and totally unacceptable that the UK has seen an increasing amount of anti-Jewish hatred in recent years.
The Community Security Trust (CST), an internationally-respected organisation which receives government support, finds in its latest report that for the third year in a row anti-Semitic incidents are at a record high. In 2018, there were a record 1,652 incidents - a shocking 16% rise on the figure from the already high number for 2017. This is the first time ever that more than 100 incidents have been recorded in every month in a calendar year.
What was once a form of hate only found in the darkest parts of public life has now found itself being discussed in mainstream political discourse.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust, have all accused the leadership of the Labour Party of failing to deal adequately with anti-Semitism. Furthermore, Labour MPs themselves have bravely raised the issue, with Chuka Umunna MP stating his belief that the Labour Party now clearly fitted “the definition of institutional racism as outlined by Sir William Macpherson in the Macpherson report”, with his assessment being that the Labour Party has not done enough to tackle anti-Semitism. (See: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/sep/09/chuka-umunna-labour-is-institutionally-racist)
Professor Vernon Bogdanor, widely considered to be the leading living authority on constitutional politics in this country, has written of how the threat from the Far Left is very serious. You can read his powerful article here: https://www.thejc.com/comment/analysis/corbyn-threat-is-much-greater-than-far-right-1.479120.
I will be attending the annual CST Dinner later this month, as I have annually for many years, to support the Jewish community in this country and to demonstrate my support in tackling the growing problem of anti-Semitism.