More than half of British Jews say Labour has made the community less secure, new JC poll shows

More than half of British Jews – 56 per cent – think that Labour’s actions in government have made the Jewish community less secure, according to a new poll for the JC.

The poll also revealed that British Jews think that Sir Keir Starmer’s party has been too critical of Israel while in office and that Labour is too scared of losing votes from British Muslims to pursue a balanced foreign policy. Additionally, Reform UK is now backed by one in five British Jews and has become the second most popular party behind the Conservatives. Labour is in third place with UK Jews.

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Even though news about Labour’s intention to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist group emerged halfway though the period in which the JC poll was conducted, only 4 per cent said that Labour’s decisions in office had made the Jewish community more secure.

Thirty-four per cent thought Labour had made no real difference to security and that the community was no more or less secure as a result of their actions in government. The poll of 505 British Jews over the age of 18, conducted by Survation between June 16 and July 1, makes grim reading for Starmer, who last week marked the one-year anniversary of Labour’s return to government after 14 years.

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The Tories topped the ballot with 41 per cent, while one in five – 20 per cent – backed Nigel Farage’s Reform. Labour managed 15 per cent while the Liberal Democrats and Greens were on 7 per cent and 6 per cent respectively according to the JC’s survey, which excluded those who said they did not know or would not vote. Even though the gap between Labour and Reform falls within the poll’s margin of error, the shift still amounts to a massive swing compared to our last survey ahead of the 2024 elections. Back then, 42 per cent of British Jews said they planned to vote Conservative, 33 per cent Labour, and just 7 per cent Reform.

Respondents were largely scathing about the government’s key policies. For example, 72 per cent said Labour was wrong to suspend some arms sales to Israel.

Last September, Foreign Secretary David Lammy justified the decision by telling MPs that there was a “clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law”.

The move was widely condemned by Jewish communal organisations, which noted that it coincided with the funerals of Israeli hostages murdered by Hamas.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said at the time: “It beggars belief that the British government, a close strategic ally of Israel, has announced a partial suspension of arms licences, at a time when Israel is fighting a war for its very survival on seven fronts forced upon it on October 7, and at the very moment when six hostages murdered in cold blood by cruel terrorists were being buried by their families.”

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More than half of British Jews – 57 per cent – said they thought that the government had been too critical of Israel, compared to 28 per cent who thought it had been balanced and 8 per cent who said it had been overly supportive.

One of Labour’s first actions in government was to restore funding to UN Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa in July last year.

Under the Conservatives, the UK and several other countries stopped giving money to Unrwa in January 2024 after Israel accused its employees of participating in the October 7 attacks.

At Labour’s annual conference in September last year – its first since 2009 as a party of government – Lammy used his keynote speech to attack the Tories’ decision to suspend the funding. He told the crowd of Labour activists that the action “damaged our reputation abroad”.

“When we restored funding to Unrwa for their work in Gaza, what did we say conference? Britain is back”, he told supporters in Liverpool.

Moreover, last month was the first time ever that a British government has placed sanctions on Israeli ministers, when far-right members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet – Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich – were hit with a travel ban and asset freezes due to their “repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities”.

A substantial majority of British Jews believe that Labour’s foreign policy decisions are motivated by a fear of shedding further support from Muslim voters.

A total of 72 per cent said they thought that the Labour Party was too scared of losing votes from British Muslims to pursue a balanced policy towards Israel.

Despite an overwhelming electoral victory at last year’s general election, Labour suffered some losses and near losses in constituencies with a sizeable Muslim electorate.

Jonathan Ashworth, a key ally of Starmer, lost his Leicester South seat to pro-Gaza independent Shockat Adam. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, nearly lost to pro-Gaza candidate Leanne Mohamad with his majority dropping from 5,198 in 2019 to just 528 last year.

As well as Adam, Jeremy Corbyn and three other independents were elected as independents on an explicitly “pro-Gaza” stance at the last general election. They have since formed a parliamentary grouping called the Independent Alliance.

Elements of the British left have sought to emphasise their opposition to Israel’s policies – and the government’s apparent leniency towards Netanyahu’s government – as a way of securing support.

Green Party leadership candidate Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, has attacked the government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action and accused Starmer of “standing with Netanyahu during a genocide”.

Zarah Sultana at an anti-Israel protest in 2023 (Abdullah Bailey/Alamy Live News)Alamy Stock Photo

Last week, suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana announced that she had quit her party and that she and Jeremy Corbyn would “co-lead the founding” of a new left-wing party.

The Gaza issue and opposition to the government’s policy towards Israel was a key plank of what Sultana offered potential voters.

She said in a statement last Thursday night: “Across the political establishment, from Farage to Starmer, they smear people of conscience trying to stop a genocide in Gaza as terrorists… But the truth is clear: this government is an active participant in genocide. And the British people oppose it.”

Sultana and Corbyn’s new party formed after the JC’s poll had been concluded, so did not feature as an option.

Although he is the bookmakers’ favourite to be the next resident of 10 Downing Street, the community was split as to whether Farage would defend the interests of British Jews if he became prime minister.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 23: Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage arrives to speak during a Reform UK press conference on June 23, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)Getty Images

Despite his party enjoying the backing of 20 per cent of British Jews, a total of 37 per cent thought he would defend Jewish interests but 38 per cent said he would not and 25 per cent did not know. The survey also suggested that Reform UK’s Jewish backers were more motivated by antipathy towards other political parties than enthusiasm for the programme pushed by Farage.

Just 29 per cent of Reform UK’s supporters from within the Jewish community said they mainly backed Farage’s party because of what it stood for, compared to 63 per cent who said they were dissatisfied with the other parties.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “This Labour government was elected to deliver change. After 14 years of Tory decline, that is no small task, and we are taking that mission in three phases, in the interests of renewing Britain.

“After taking the immediate action to fix the foundations, the government is working to make this a fairer country for ordinary people. We’ve already delivered an extra four million NHS appointments, boosted wages, secured three trade deals and helped deliver four interest rate cuts lowering mortgage payments for millions. We’ve also bolstered funding and expanded police powers to protect synagogues from intimidating protests. But there is much more to do.

“We recognise that many in the Jewish community remain affected by the conflicts in Israel and Gaza. We remain steadfast in advocating for a peaceful settlement that sees the return of all hostages, and a flow of humanitarian aid getting into Gaza. And we continue to push for a deal that will see stability brought to the region.”

Kemi Badenoch, Conservative Party leader, said: “These results are unsurprising. We have not seen enough moral courage from this government. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. A nation built on shared values with Britain. Yet the Labour government has treated Israel with the hostility it normally reserves for pariah states. Not allies. Not partners. Not friends.

“We’re watching the consequences play out in full view: hate marches on our streets, antisemitic chants at Glastonbury, two-tier policing. A Britain where some citizens are treated differently, simply for standing with Israel.

“Under my leadership, the Conservative Party will not pander to the extremes. We will make Britain a safer place for Jewish people. We will stand with Israel. And we will tell the truth, even when it’s difficult to hear.”

A JLC spokesperson said: “In our engagement with the government, we always emphasise the connection between events in Israel and our community in the UK. While we welcome the strong support for our community’s security, the risk is greater during times of conflict in the Middle East. We want to see a strong relationship between the UK and Israel which recognises our shared values and the vital security relationship which keeps British citizens safe. Regrettably, the government has taken a series of decisions over the past year which has weakened this relationship.”

A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies said: “As we have seen, our community broadly mirrors the country as a whole in its current appreciation of the main parties. There will be everything to play for at the next general election and we will be working with all the relevant parties to strengthen their pitch to British Jews.”