On the doorstep in Barnet with the rabbi hoping to win votes

West Finchley has never returned a councillor for any party other than Labour but local supporters are not taking anything for granted. On Sun­day, a dozen or so activists were busy knocking on doors — many of which had mezuzahs — alongside the rabbi.

One Jewish voter has good news for Rabbi Rich. “I’ve been a life long Labour voter and I want to see the back of the Conservatives in Barnet,” he says.

Although he had read about Labour’s antisemitism problem, “that still won’t change my mind. I don’t personally encounter it”.

In the next street, however, anoth­er Labour canvasser receives a much frostier reception.

A Jewish Israeli says she too had been a life long Labour voter but has been unable to vote for the party since Mr Corbyn was elected.

“There is a big problem. This is seri­ous,” she says. “There is this pure hate if you mention Israel or Zionism.”

But she will not vote for the Con­servatives.

Rabbi Rich says: “Occasionally I will come across a Jewish voter who says ‘I’m not having anything to do with Labour. This antisemitism is a problem’.

“I’m not hiding the fact that in Bar­net, where we have a good percentage of Jewish voters, the controversy about antisemitism is not going to help our vote. There’s no question about that.”

In Childs Hill ward the race could not be closer. The last election saw two Orthodox Jewish Conservatives, Peter Zinkin and Shimon Ryde, win seats but a third Tory lost out to an incumbent Liberal Democrat by just nine votes.

Labour’s leading candidate was only another 40 votes behind.

Mr Zinkin says: “From our point of view, the absolutely critical mes­sage to all voters is that in this ward your vote actu­ally mat­ters.”