London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 11, 2026

Jewish Labour supporter insists there's "no evidence" Labour is led by anti-Semites

Jewish Labour supporter insists there's "no evidence" Labour is led by anti-Semites

Shelagh Fogarty questions Jewish Labour supporter and political think-tank chief Jonathan Lis over his insistence that there is no evidence Labour is led by anti-Semites.

Jonathan Lis said he would never judge or condemn any Jewish person for no longer feeling able to stay in the Labour party.

He insisted: "There has to be a way we can tackle anti-Semitism while still ensuring we have a progressive government in this country which is going to protect the rights of minorities for everyone."

Mr Lis also wanted to prevent voters from the "xenophobic policies that the Conservative party stands on", referencing the Windrush scandal, and accused the party of suddenly jumping on the band-waggon.

"I find it profoundly offensive as a Jewish person when people who have promoted racist, exclusionary policies their whole careers presume to defend my interests. They simply do not," he said.


 Shelagh asked Mr Lis how he could square Jeremy Corbyn's "blind eye to that mural" which was anti-Semitic; former Labour member Luciana Berger tweeted a picture of the mural and Corbyn's response in 2018. The Labour leader has since called the image "deeply disturbing."

Mr Lis said: "I think Jeremy Corbyn has been extremely careless, particularly in the time before he became Labour leader. I don't think he was overtly malicious." He continued that his passionate campaigning on the Palestinian issue which "clouded his judgement."

Shelagh said that anti-Semitism is disgusting and she can't understand that a party who wants to fix homelessness, austerity and poverty "can fail to get a grip and say the right things about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism."

Mr Lis conceded that Mr Corbyn was "much too quick to assert bad faith on the part of his critics" when these accusations arose; "but I don't think it follows that the Labour party is necessarily institutionally anti-Semitic."

He also said that the Tory party has a long history of anti-Semitism "where the Jews were accused of being against ordinary people" and no matter what, we need a Labour government.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
English Councils to Gain Power to Introduce Tourist Taxes by 2028
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Firefighters Make Progress Containing Major Wildfires in South Wales
John Lewis Partnership Reports £124 Million Loss
Study Says UK AI Data Centres Will Create Only a Quarter of Forecast Jobs
UK Government Considers Higher Industrial Water Prices Amid Supply Pressures
Andy Burnham Holds First Call With Donald Trump as UK Prime Minister
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record as Heatwaves Drive Hospital Admissions
Home Secretary Orders Police Crackdown on Far-Right Anti-Migrant Vigilantes
UK Supreme Court Rules Northern Ireland Religious Education Curriculum Breaches Human Rights Standards
Markets Price in Four Bank of England Rate Rises by Next Summer
House of Commons Prepares Free Vote on Assisted Dying Bill
UK Government Bans Trade With Israeli Settlements in Occupied Territories
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Artificial Intelligence Investment Supports Expansion
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Keir Starmer Resigns
John Lewis Partnership Loss Widens to £124 Million
UK Government to Put White Working-Class Social Mobility at Centre of Equality Policy
McLaren Plans £450 Million Technology Investment Creating 1,000 UK Jobs
UK Chancellor Faces Calls for Wealth Taxes and Public Ownership in Autumn Budget
English Mayors to Gain Powers to Impose Uncapped Overnight Tourist Taxes
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Government Against Bank Windfall Taxes
UK Air Traffic Control Outage Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
UK Imposes Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as Middle East Tensions Push Long-Term Gilt Yields to Highest Since 1998
Buckingham Palace Says Prince Harry and Meghan Will Not Resume Official Royal Duties
UK Treasury Faces Calls to Scrap £100,000 Childcare Support Threshold
Trades Union Congress Urges Labour Government to Rewrite Migration Policy
Riot Police Deployed After Anti-Migrant Protests Turn Violent in Portsmouth
UK Considers Replacing Some Disability Cash Payments With Direct Services
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Chancellor Against Higher Banking Taxes
UK Announces New Sanctions Targeting Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Metropolitan Police Investigate Alleged Illegal Donations to Reform UK
UK Charges Wiltshire Man With Assisting Russian Intelligence
UK Orders Urgent Review After Air Traffic Failure Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
Merz Rebukes AfD Expansion in Saxony-Anhalt
King Charles Confirms Prince Harry and Meghan Will Remain Private Citizens
Labour Selects Former Child Refugee for By-Election in Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Foreign Private Equity Accelerates Takeovers of London-Listed Industrial Companies
NHS Maternity Care Faces Scrutiny Over Support for Mothers After Caesarean Births
BBC Warns Staff Strikes Are Likely Amid Job Cuts and Programme Cancellations
English Housing Affordability Improves to Best Level in More Than a Decade
UK Health Commission Proposes Framework for Wider AI Adoption Across NHS
Labour Faces Pressure for Wealth Tax Ahead of Autumn Budget
Metropolitan Police Open Criminal Investigation Into Alleged Foreign Donations to Reform UK
UK Police Deploy Riot Officers After Anti-Immigration Unrest in Portsmouth and Dover
UK Defends Sanctions on Israeli Settlements Despite Diplomatic Retaliation
UK Air Traffic Control Failure Cancels More Than 1,000 Flights and Disrupts 65,000 Passengers
Compass Urges £10 Million Wealth Tax and Public Ownership Ahead of UK Autumn Budget
UK Government’s Devolution Plans Face House of Lords Scrutiny
Maldives Seeks New Chagos Sovereignty Talks With UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham
×