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In Scotland's most Jewish seat, fear of Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn dominates

In East Renfrewshire, voters fear the SNP could do a deal to secure a second independence referendum

November 25, 2019 15:07
Kirsten Oswald, the SNP candidate in East Renfrewshire
4 min read

Jewish voters in the largest community north of the border find themselves between a rock and several hard places in the forthcoming election.

According to the latest census data, approximately 2,400 Jews live in the East Renfrewshire constituency to the south of Glasgow — making up more than 40 per cent of Scotland’s entire Jewish community.

The Labour Party’s antisemitism crisis means the bulk of the community fear a government led by Jeremy Corbyn and, by extension, are wary of voting for the Scottish National Party (SNP), which has refused to rule out propping one up in exchange for a second independence referendum.

Many in the community also report Jews’ historic mistrust of “nationalist” politics — although the SNP boasts a number of local Jewish activists and its candidate, Kirsten Oswald, stressed her party’s centre-left credentials.