Jews are returning to Labour in droves, says Wes Streeting as he praises Israel's healthcare system

Mr Streeting, who is widely tipped as a future Labour leader, was an outspoken critic of the antisemitism that flourished inside Labour under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. A leading member of Labour Friends of Israel, he revealed that his trip this week is the fifth time he has visited the country.

He said: “Many of the hard left people who denied Israel’s right to exist have left the party. But I think in my time as an MP I’ve shown it is possible to be critical of the Israeli government and aspects of its policies without being antisemitic, and to accept that Israel not only has a right to exist, but to so with security.

“The attacks we have seen in the past few weeks demonstrate that we must do all we can to end the cycle of violence, and it’s really important for the next Labour government to be an honest brokers to help deliver justice both for Israelis and Palestinians.”

Mr Streeting said he had been deeply impressed by Israeli healthcare, and especially its use of cheap, widely available technologies to improve it. “I would say that Israel is ten years ahead of the NHS. Its health system is digital, where ours is analogue. We need to emulate it to improve patient experience and to clear the enormous Covid backlog – and in many cases, this will save money,” Mr Streeting said.