MIKE KATZ: ‘Nigel Farage peddles conspiracy theories and jibes at minorities’
‘Jews feel a real sense of fear in the wake of the synagogue attack in Manchester and it’s irresponsible to be careless with language’, the former chair of Jewish Labour Lord Katz writes
While the government set out the Budget this week, another serious story emerged. We have heard some serious allegations against Nigel Farage.
A number of Farage’s former classmates say he repeatedly made appalling antisemitic and other racist comments in his time at Dulwich College. Many of the words he supposedly used do not bear repeating.
Yet the Reform leader’s response to the charge was astounding. When quizzed by journalists, he attempted to shrug off these disturbing allegations as playground banter. It is as hurtful as it is chilling to hear this dismissal from the mouth of a political leader.
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Before entering Parliament this year, I was the Chair of the Jewish Labour Movement. Part of my work involved supporting Keir Starmer in his mission to eradicate antisemitism from Labour – and make the Party electable again.
That difficult and sensitive work was a moral mission. It involved confronting uncomfortable truths. And while that work never really ends, we as a society are facing an even bigger challenge. Antisemitism – and many other forms of racism – are on the rise.
While no single event or person is responsible for that, someone is listening when we talk about it. When Farage dismisses his reported comments as he did this week, someone is listening. When people peddle conspiracy theories about Jews, in the way Farage has done in the past, someone is listening.
I’ve experienced the type of hurtful jibes that Farage is said to have thrown out. As have many of my friends and loved ones. Jews feel a real sense of fear in the wake of the synagogue attack in Manchester. It’s irresponsible for public figures to be careless with their language. It has real world consequences. This goes right to the heart of what type of society Britain wants to be, and what type of society our leaders want to build.
The day after the Budget, Keir Starmer took time out of his packed schedule to visit a synagogue, where he listened to students describe distressing experiences of antisemitism and the impact it has had on their lives. Some of this is undoubtedly linked to the polarising topic of the conflict in Gaza. That has caused division and created real anger.
Nigel Farage’s Reform seeks to profit from division, that very same sense of discord that makes those students feel that way. Given his track record of peddling conspiracy and pointed jibes at minority communities – we can’t let him.
With faith comes hope. And that was our Prime Minister’s message. He challenged Farage to go to synagogues, mosques, and community spaces to hear from those impacted by his words. Do we think Farage will take up that challenge? I doubt it, division is his strongest weapon.
‘Tories wrote off younger generations’
One of things you may have missed in the Budget whirlwind this week was news that over £1.5 billion was set aside to support young people with getting a job, or to go into learning.
It’s a travesty the Tories effectively wrote off younger generations across our country. Around a million kids and young adults are neither in employment, education or training. What an appalling waste. Labour is determined to turn that tide.
The ‘Youth Guarantee’ will give eligible 18- to 21-year-olds a guaranteed six-month paid work placement, if they’re on Universal Credit and have been looking for work for 18 months. Another Budget bonus is a scheme to make apprenticeship training for under-25s at small and medium firms “completely free”. Brilliant.
Labour is backing all our kids – no young people should be left on the scrapheap. I can’t wait to see the next generation of world-class inventors, creators, and entrepreneurs this will create.
‘Westminster focussed on a real-life traitor’
Like everyone, in my house we were glued to Celebrity Traitors. We can’t wait for the next series! But this week Westminster has been focussed on a real-life traitor.
Nigel Farage’s former right-hand man Nathan Gill has been banged up for taking pro-Russia bribes. Of course, Nigel has form when it comes to making pro-Putin noises.
So perhaps we shouldn’t expect much traitor-hunting from his party faithfuls.
‘Hard enough being Spurs’
It’s hard enough being a Spurs boy without the big boss supporting Arsenal – especially after the PM’s team gave us a thrashing in the north London Derby last weekend.
As I slunk into Parliament on Monday, I tried to forget that Keir is a lifelong fan of the other lot. I’ll just focus on the only red team I want to win – Labour.
