MP John Mann has been appointed as the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism in one of Theresa May’s final acts as prime minister.

In an announcement made only 45 minutes before Boris Johnson was expected to be confirmed as new Tory Party leader, Mr Mann was handed the role, which will see him offering advice to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on how to tackle anti-Jewish racism.

The Bassetlaw MP, who currently chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism, will collaborate with Lord Pickles, the UK’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust issues, as well as Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Special Envoy for Religion and Belief, in his new role.

Writing for Politics Home on Tuesday, Mr Mann said: "It is vital that non-Jewish allies call out antisemitism, and show others how to combat it. Populist far-right rhetoric, including that of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is gaining attention online, and in the real world, at an unprecedented rate.

“On the far-left, the socialism of fools has taken grip once again. The Labour Party has had to expel members for engaging in conspiracism and Holocaust denial. “

Mr Mann added: "The Westminster, Manchester, and London Bridge attacks highlighted the threat which the Jewish community is constantly anticipating and suffered when a Jewish charity was bombed 25 years ago in North West London.

"Antisemitism is a key component of Islamist ideology and an indicator of extremism.”

Despite their political differences Mr Mann praised Theresa May last year as a “woman of integrity” after introducing her to guests at a Downing Street reception in honour of the organisers of the Sara Conference, which discussed misogyny as well as anti-Jewish racism.

Praising Mr Mann’s appointment, the Board of Deputies said in a statement that he was a “towering figure in the fight against antisemitism.”