Britain’s Starmer calls in leaders to tackle anti-semitism after attacks

LONDON – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will convene leaders from across society on May 5 to tackle anti-semitism in the wake of the stabbing of two Jewish men and a string of other assaults, his office said.

The attacks have left communities fearing for their safety and piled pressure on the governing Labour Party, particularly ahead of local elections on May 7. The leader of the opposition Conservative Party has called anti-semitism a “national emergency”.

The government has since raised the national terrorism threat level to “severe” and announced an additional £25 million (S$43 million) in funding to bolster protection of the country’s estimated 290,000-strong Jewish community.

Mr Starmer, whose wife is Jewish, said in a statement on May 4 that last week’s stabbings were part of a pattern of rising anti-semitism that has left the country’s Jewish communities feeling frightened and angry.

“Make no mistake, this crisis – it is a crisis for all of us. It is a test of our values ... it is not enough to simply say we stand with Jewish communities. We must show it,” he added.

Leaders from business, civil society, higher education

The meeting on May 5 will bring together representatives from business, civil society, health, culture, higher education and policing to take part in discussions with members of the Jewish community, hosted by ministers.

The government, which has also promised legislation to deal with state-sponsored threats, said the event forms part of its efforts to accelerate work to confront militancy, protect the Jewish community and strengthen cohesion.

The Global Terrorism Index, issued by the Institute for Economics and Peace, has said that while deaths from terrorism fell worldwide in 2025, terrorism-related fatalities in Western countries surged by 280 per cent compared to 2024, largely driven by anti-semitism, Islamophobia and political terrorism.

In Britain, government data published in 2025 showed sharp rises in hate crimes against both Jewish and Muslim communities in the months following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. REUTERS