Concern over disenfranchised Jews as proposed UK general election date clashes with Succot

"This means that, due to religious restrictions, observant Jews would not be able to vote in person or participate on the day.

"While we understand that the situation surrounding Brexit means that there is very little flexibility over dates, we have been in touch with the Government to explain the concerns and difficulties that our community would face.

"If a General Election is held on October 14, we will be encouraging everyone affected to apply for a postal vote so that their democratic rights are not affected.”

But whether Barnet Council would be able to cope with a huge surge of demands for postal votes remains open to question.

Two London constituencies with large Jewish populations, Finchley and Golders Green and Hendon, fall within the borough. Both are Conservative seats with narrow majorities.

Hundreds of Barnet residents — including Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and his wife Valerie — were turned away from polling stations during local elections in 2016 as a result of incomplete lists of voters being sent to poll clerks.

Some analysts believed that the sitting Conservative MPs held their seats in the last general election of 2017, when the party lost its overall majority, because of the anti-Labour swing among local Jews alarmed by Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has threatened to call an election if he loses a Brexit-related vote in Parliament this week.

But Labour would still have to agree to an election taking place.