Suella Braverman’s husband has led Jewish members of Reform UK in questioning the impartiality of the Board of Deputies, following comments made by its president during a session at Limmud.
Speaking as part of a panel discussion on the sense of abandonment on the Left felt by some members of the Jewish community that may result in pushing them further towards populist right-wing parties such as Reform, the Board’s president, Phil Rosenberg, promised that before the next general election, they would be “challenging [the] Reform [party] on their candidate selection”.
He also called on the community to “make the case for passionate effective centrism” that counters the “polarisation in our politics”, as reported by the JC in an online article titled “Don’t fall into the honeytrap of right-wing populism, community warned” published on December 24.
Following that article, more than two dozen Jewish members of the party including Rael Braverman, husband of former home secretary Suella Braverman, who defected to Reform last month, penned a joint letter to the JC arguing that the criticisms levied against the party within the piece “mispresents” the party’s “values and actions”.
It claims that Jewish people have “not only” joined Reform for its “vocal Jewish support” but also its “relevant and sensible policies of low tax, low government involvement, reducing national debt and support for jobs and businesses to grow the economy”.
Addressing Rosenberg’s remarks directly about future scrutiny of Reform’s candidate selection, the letter asserts that his “selective focus” on the party while ignoring “the well-documented issues within his own Labour Party – including candidates who have openly supported anti-Israel activities and failed to address rising antisemitism – raises serious questions about the Board’s impartiality.
“It is noteworthy,” the letter continued, “that the Board’s leadership is predominantly affiliated with the Jewish Labour Movement, casting doubt on the objectivity of their critique.”
It said Reform UK “demonstrated its commitment to Jewish representation” in the last general election by fielding Jewish candidates in constituencies with significant Jewish populations. “This fact alone challenges the narrative that Reform UK does not support Jewish interests, positing instead that our party is diverse and representative.”
Limmud (l-r) Rabbi Sybil Sheridan, Rabbi David Mason, Phil Rosenberg and Lord Mann (Photo: Gaby Wine)
Responding to the letter, Rosenberg said the JC had uncovered “certain Reform candidates to have made or shared deeply offensive remarks about the Jewish community” during its coverage of the most recent General Election.
The Board, he said, has “signalled our alarm at these comments, as we have done repeatedly with candidates” from all parties, and in the Green Party in particular last election. “It is right that, as the Reform Party seeks to grow, it deals with these problems, which Nigel Farage has himself acknowledged. We will give our constructive input on this, as we do across politics.”
Rosenberg added that Jewish members of Reform have a “crucial role to play” in showing that racism has no place in the party, ensuring “that future candidate selection meets the standards we should expect of all political parties”. Other signatories of the letter include NJA Chairman Gary Mond, former mayor of Barnet, and councillor Mark Shooter, and Orthodox rabbi and former Tory councillor Shneur Odze.
Also part of the Limmud panel was former Labour MP Lord John Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, who was accused of employing “broad and arguably misapplied” definitions of antisemitism in order to “weaponise them for political gain, particular against right-leaning entities like Reform UK.”
It said: “Labelling terms like ‘globalist’ or ‘cultural Marxist’ as inherently antisemitic without context or nuance dilutes the real fight against antisemitism, which should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria rather than political convenience.”
In response, Lord Mann told the JC: “We have one definition of antisemitism, the IHRA definition. Reform members need to get a grip on their own Party and its activists. A good start would be to read back issues of the Jewish Chronicle, such as that of 27 June, 2024, which quoted a series of Reform General Election candidates and their antisemitism.
“Right wing populism,” he continued, “never fails in ending up blaming the Jewish hidden hand for controlling the world.”
He added that he would be “happy” to work with all parties including Reform to help it “expunge itself of antisemites and antisemitism.”
This year’s general elections saw Reform UK winning 14 per cent of the vote, although a survey carried out by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research prior to the election found that only six per cent of Jews were intending to vote for them.
