The Chief Rabbi in the United Kingdom made an unprecedented intervention in the upcoming general election, saying on Monday the far-left Labour Party Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is ‘unfit for office’ over his handling of anti-Semitism allegations.
Ephraim Mirvis warned of dire consequences for the Jewish community in the UK, should the Labour Party take control of the government, saying the “poison” of anti-Semitism has taken root in the leadership under Jeremy Corbyn.
“How complicit in prejudice would a leader of Her Majesty’s opposition have to be, to be considered unfit for office? Would associations with those who have incited hatred against Jews be enough? Would describing as ‘friends’ those who endorse the murder of Jews be enough? It seems not”, Mirvis wrote in the Times.
“It is a failure to see this as a human problem rather than a political one. It is a failure of culture. It is a failure of leadership. A new poison – sanctioned from the top – has taken root in the Labour Party”, he added.
The Labour Party has faced a spate of accusations of anti-Semitism since Jeremy Corbyn became its leader in 2015. Earlier this year seven MPs resigned from the party, citing Corbyn’s mishandling of ant-Semitism in the membership.
In December of last year, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organisation that researches the Holocaust and contemporary anti-Semitism, added Corbyn’s lack of response on anti-Semitism to their annual list of top ten worst incidents.
“The way in which the leadership has dealt with anti-Jewish racism is incompatible with the British values of which we are so proud — of dignity and respect for all people. It has left many decent Labour members both Jewish and non-Jewish, ashamed of what has transpired”, wrote the Chief Rabbi.
“Be in no doubt, the very soul of our nation is at stake”, Mirvis warned.
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