Looking back to the increasingly anti-Israel line Labour took after coming to power in 2024, she claimed that Starmer “had trouble with his backbenchers, his MPs weren’t supporting [him], and so he did things like recognising Palestine while there were still hostages held by Hamas.
“That sort of action, which he did to appease his backbenchers, sent a signal to a lot of people who have been using antizionism as a cover for antisemitism.
“I don’t think he realised the repercussions of those sorts of actions.”
The JC joined Badenoch on a campaign visit to Barnet the day before local elections, as she toured seven London boroughs in a Conservative-branded black cab.
She criticised some Labour MPs, as well as Green and pro-Gaza independent politicians, for extreme anti-Israel rhetoric and antisemitism.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 06: Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch takes a selfie with supporters during a visit to Barnet as they conclude their local election campaigning with a taxi ride across London on May 06, 2026 in London, England. Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch is making stops across London as she tours the capital in a Conservative-branded black cab on the final day of campaigning for the May 7 elections. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)Getty Images
She said: “These people need to educate themselves. I hear blood libel tropes, misinformation, some of it very clearly being stoked by the Iranian regime.”
Warning that Tehran’s influence extended into the UK, she added: “When [Iran] was being heavily bombed, we saw a lot of accounts promoting Scottish independence go dead. People don’t understand just how nefarious Iran’s activities are. People need to start paying attention, Labour backbenchers more than most.”
Badenoch called for the Nakba Day demonstration, due to take place on May 16, to be cancelled, arguing that such protests had moved beyond legitimate expression.
Previous Nakba Day rallies – held to commemorate the day that some refer to as the “Palestinian Catastrophe”, which is normally one day after Israel’s Independence Day – have seen protesters chant “globalise the intifada”.
Badenoch said, “It is time for a moratorium on the pro-Palestine marches. They are being used as a cover for what is actually intimidation. The right to protest has limits. Free speech has limits. You’re not allowed to defame people or tell lies; you can’t shout fire in a crowded theatre.
She questioned why similar levels of activism were not seen for other international crises. “Where are the protests about the enslavement of the Uyghur Muslims, where are the protests about the atrocities in Sudan?
“That’s why I think this is very specific: it is an old, ancient hatred and that has found a new way of manifesting, and we need to fight against it,” Badenoch said.
Turning to the impact in Britain, she added: “We have to pull back from all of that and look at what is happening not abroad but in our own country – that British Jews are being targeted… they are creating a climate of intimidation with those marches.
“It is very clear it is not protest; it is a cover for harassing and intimidating Jews. Marching past synagogues like Westminster synagogue is just not right.”
Badenoch repeated her call for tougher measures on antisemitism, including deportation for foreign nationals who have expressed violent hatred of Jews.
“People who don’t belong here that have brought antisemitic cultural attitudes from other countries need to be told we don’t do that here, and possibly if they are violent, they need to be sent back to where they come from and deported,” she said.
“When it comes to British citizens, we need to start getting the whole of society saying, ‘no this is not acceptable’.”
She also public services to “get serious” about tackling Jew-hate.
“Having people in the NHS who say they will not treat Jewish people should be an instant sacking offence.”
Asked about her broad support for the Jewish community in the face of antisemitism, Badenoch pointed to her upbringing in Nigeria as giving her an understanding of Islamist extremism.
“Having lived my childhood in a country where you can actually see these sorts of activities turning into something much more dangerous, I recognise it a lot more easily than many people who’ve lived in the UK only,” she said.
“I recognise Islamic extremism; it is something that is all over the world… We need to root it out.”
She stressed the need to distinguish between extremism and mainstream Islam.
“We need to make sure that we recognise it for what it is and not confuse it with normal everyday Islam, with mainstream Muslims going about their daily business. This particular stream of Islamic extremism is something that should not be harboured anywhere, whether it is Boko Haram, Hamas or Hezbollah. It is time to get rid of it.”
The Tory leader's intervention over Nakba Day follows comments by shadow home secretary Chris Philp, who has also called for the march to be cancelled after incidents at previous demonstrations.
“At last year's Nakba protest, demonstrators called for intifada – a direct call for violence. Some expressed support for terrorist groups like Hamas and compared Israel's actions to the Holocaust. There were seven arrests,” he told the JC.
"This march will fuel even more hate and antisemitism. There’s no doubt that given the recent antisemitic attacks, this year’s march should be banned,” Philp said.
