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Rabbi Mirvis said claims Labour had stamped out anti-Semitism were a ‘mendacious fiction’
Tuesday, 26th November 2019, 8:09 pm
The Leader of the Opposition insisted Ephraim Mirvis was “not right” to criticise his handling of left-wing activists who have been accused of anti-Jewish racism and challenged him to produce evidence for his claims.
Rabbi Mirvis made an unprecedented intervention on Monday night, claiming that Mr Corbyn is “unfit for office” because he is “complicit in prejudice”. The Chief Rabbi was backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Hindu Council.
‘Poisonous and divisive’
The Labour leader defended his record on anti-Semitism, telling Mr Neil: “Anti-Semitism is there in society, there are a very, very small number of people in the Labour Party that have been sanctioned as a result about their anti-Semitic behaviour.
“We will not allow anti-Semitism in any form in our society because it is poisonous and divisive, just as much as Islamophobia or far-right racism is.”
Rabbi Mirvis said claims Labour had stamped out anti-Semitism were a “mendacious fiction”; Mr Corbyn responded: “No, he’s not right. Because he would have to produce the evidence to say that’s mendacious.” He added: “I’m looking forward to having a discussion with him because I want to hear why he would say such a thing.”
In the BBC interview, the Labour leader also failed to explain how Britain can afford to pay out £58bn to the “Waspi women” affected by the rise in the state pension age. Asked where the funding would come from, Mr Corbyn said only: “We’ll pay for it because it has to be paid for.”
The Chief Rabbi’s intervention, which came hours before Labour launched its “race and equality manifesto”, was seized on by Mr Corbyn’s critics.
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Anti-Semitism row
Boris Johnson said: “It is a very serious business when the Chief Rabbi speaks as he does. I have never seen anything like it and clearly it is a failure of leadership on the part of the Labour leader who has not been able to stamp out this virus in the Labour party.”
Allies of the Labour leader defended him against claims he has not acted on anti-Semitism.
Lord Dubs, who fled the Nazis as a child refugee, told party supporters he was “bitterly, bitterly disappointed” with the Chief Rabbi’s “unjustified and unfair” comments.
Jon Lansman, the founder of left-wing pressure group Momentum who is himself Jewish, said of Rabbi Mirvis: “Does he not think that he above all other Jews has a duty to be balanced in his statements about racism?”
Quotes
On anti-Semitism in Labour
“Anti-Semitism is there in society. There are a very, very small number of people in the Labour Party that have been sanctioned as a result of complaints about their anti-Semitic behaviour. As far as I’m concerned one is one too many and I’ve ensured action has been taken on that.”
On the Chief Rabbi
“I’m looking forward to having a discussion with him because I want to hear why he would say such a thing”
On tax rises
“Only those earning over £80,000 per year will see a tax increase.”
On spending plans
“We are not going to willy-nilly borrow. What we want to do is deal with the worst aspects of what’s happened with austerity, the worst aspects of poverty in Britain, and on public ownership we’ve made it very clear that those natural monopolies like Royal Mail, like the train operating companies and like the water industry will be taken into public ownership.”
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