Muslims and Jews as young as 13 should be mixing on a regular basis according to Ivan Lewis, the Foreign Office Minister and Bury South MP.

Calling on both communities to address tensions between Muslim and Jewish students on university campuses during a debate on interfaith relations at Manchester Town Hall, Mr Lewis said: “Why are we not bringing young people together?” He added that he was speaking as the father of a 13- and 14-year-old. Suggesting that schools should be involved in interfaith dialogue, Mr Lewis said it was difficult to understand “why we shouldn’t be advocating the virtues of some level of integration”.

Lord Ahmed urged that divisions over the Middle East should not scupper a Muslim-Jewish front against neo-fascist groups. Michelle Wiseman, who is contesting Bury South for the Tories, was also at the event, organised by Manchester’s Muslim-Jewish Forum.