Jewish leaders in action call to Corbyn

JEWISH COMMUNITY organisations have urged Jeremy Corbyn use his “personal authority” to stamp out anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.

In a letter, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council thanked Mr Corbyn for his commitment to addressing the “anguish” caused by anti-Semitic incidents.

But they said that the events of the past few weeks had not been “reassuring” for Jewish people in Britain and urged the Labour leader to use his position to root out anti-Semitism.

The letter came amid controversy over Mr Corbyn’s attendance at a Passover celebration hosted on Monday by the leftwing Jewdas organisation, which has accused the Board and JLC of “cynical manipulation” of the anti-Semitism row.

Mr Corbyn has played down the significance of his presence at the Seder event in north London, saying he “learned a lot” from speaking with Jewish people from his constituency.

But Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies, asked how his commitment to be “an ally against anti-Semitism” could be taken seriously after his attendance at the Jewdas event.

In their letter, Mr Arkush and JLC chair Jonathan Goldstein said it was “crucial that you use your own personal authority as leader of the Labour Party to drive the changes required”.

They added: “Ultimately, the most important thing going forward will be action and not words.”

It would be “helpful” for Labour’s new general secretary Jennie Formby to attend the meeting, they added. CHILDCARE COSTS have spiked by as much as 47 per cent across England since the Tories came to power, according to analysis by Labour.

The party’s figures suggest the costs of nurseries and childminders have grown at double or even triple the rate of wages. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said nurseries were also feeling the pain as they could not afford to provide the 30 hours of free childcare, as set out by the Government last year.

Mr Corbyn, speaking on a visit to a nursery in Watford where he was accompanied by Shadow Early Years Minister and Batley and Spen MP Tracy Brabin, said: “Some nurseries are closing because they can’t afford to do the 30 hours for the later years that the Government wants them to do, we’re saying there has to be more money put in to the childcare system in order that they can be fully funded and remain open.

“We’re actually losing nursery places at a time when we actually desperately need more of them.

“Every parent will tell you if they’ve got very small children, the difficulties they have in finding a nursery or if they can’t find a nursery getting a child minder to look after the child.”

The Labour analysis, compiled with figures based on annual reports by the Family and Childcare Trust, shows the cost of childcare has risen by between 32 per cent and 47 per cent across England since 2010..

The average price across England for 25 hours of nursery for a child under two has increased from £88 in 2010 to £124.73 in 2018. The price for children aged two and over has risen from £82 to £120.66.

The Government provides 30 hours a week of free childcare for children aged three and four whose parents are in work as part of a flagship Tory scheme.

Children aged two receive 15 hours of free care if their parents receive certain low-income benefits.

In 2019/20, the Government will spend around £6bn on childcare support, a record amount.