Angela Rayner has said tackling antisemitism is a responsibility for everyone in Britain, telling a major conference on Jewish life that Jewish communities will not be left to carry that burden alone.
Speaking at the inaugural Lancaster House Conference on Tuesday, held with the Antisemitism Policy Trust, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary set out the government's whole-of-society approach to tackling antisemitism and strengthening Jewish life in the UK.
Angela Rayner: 'Jewish life is British life'
"Jewish life is British life, and we must never allow antisemitic hatred to become normalised in our society," Angela Rayner said. "Tackling antisemitism is a responsibility for all of us, and Jewish communities will not be left to carry that burden alone."
In her speech she condemned antisemitism "dressed up as a protest", taking aim at conspiracy theories on the far right and antisemitic language about Israel and Zionism on the far left.
Jonathan Reynolds: action, not just words
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds used his keynote address to pay tribute to the contribution of Jewish entrepreneurs to the British economy, pointing to household names such as Tesco, Shell, River Island and Marks & Spencer. He said people wanted practical steps rather than words alone, and that the Prime Minister and the government would not shy away from a "generational challenge".
He welcomed the Board of Deputies of British Jews' updated Employer's Guide to Jews and Judaism, saying it would "help create workplaces where Jewish colleagues feel safe, valued and supported, and where antisemitism is recognised and challenged".
Asked what he would say to young Jewish people questioning whether they had a future in Britain, he said: "We're absolutely determined to show people who feel that way that there is a future for them here."
A whole-of-society approach
The conference, hosted by Lord Mann, the government's independent adviser on antisemitism, and sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, also heard from Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. Sessions covered antisemitism in the workplace, the arts, education, healthcare, communal security and football.
