Opinion
We've heard your anxieties loud and clear
When polling day arrives, we understand that the community is faced with a difficult choice
April 24, 2017 07:57
2 min read
When polling day arrives, we understand that the community is faced with a difficult choice
April 24, 2017 07:57For some, the conversation over how the Jewish community will cast its vote at this general election is a foregone conclusion.
But as two passionate advocates for the communities in Hampstead and Ilford North, we believe that the national picture must make way for local considerations.
In our visits to the synagogues in our constituency, from Shomrei Hadath in West Hampstead to Sinclair House in Redbridge, we have heard your anxieties loud and clear. Better still, we have acted upon them at every single opportunity presented to us.
Within four weeks of being elected in 2015, we were both appointed as vice-chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Antisemitism.
By October, we had chosen our first official trip abroad to be to a delegation to Paris, where we would explore the nature of antisemitism in France.
We did so because we understood, following the attack on the kosher supermarket in January 2015 and the tensions in Israel in 2014, that the Jewish community was seeking reassurances from its political representatives.
It is no secret that over the past two years, Labour’s leadership has not been strong enough in offering those assurances. Readers will be all too familiar with the individuals and incidents that have disgraced a historic relationship that has been so important and dear to us both.
But at every juncture, we have been clear to our residents that zero tolerance on antisemitism means exactly that. Through our appearances in the broadcast and print media, and through visits to community organisations, we have called for the firmest possible action to rid our party of this ancient evil.
This approach has been crucial given the broader context of a rise in hate-crimes following the EU Referendum.
However you chose to vote, it is beyond doubt that the campaign’s divisiveness gave cover for some appalling acts of racism and hate. We are proud to have led the way in condemning the cowards who demonise others under the false guise of patriotism.
Our steadfast approach to antisemitism has been replicated across the other issues that matter to local people.
For example, many Jewish parents will have received letters from local schools warning that teachers face redundancies and class sizes will be increasing. As Labour candidates, we guarantee a strong voice in Parliament against unfair cuts to your child’s education.
The same goes for the NHS, which has lurched from one crisis to another under the Conservatives. We are privileged to be the representatives to world-class hospitals, such as the Royal Free and the King George, but they are being starved of the resources needed to meet the growing challenges. We will always fight for the proper funding to give the vulnerable the support that they need.
So when polling day arrives, we understand that the community is faced with a difficult choice.
We are under no illusions over the sense of hurt that has grown over the past two years. But we are proud to stand for re-election on our record of delivery, not only for the Jewish community, but also for all the people we are privileged to represent.
We hope this local record shines through in June, and that the community will return two of their closest friends to Westminster.
Wes Streeting is Labour MP for Ilford North; Tulip Siddiq is Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn
