Tories must avoid drift on community issues
SIR PATRICK McLoughlin is a perfectly affable chap, but he could not reasonably be said to be one of the highest profile Conservatives.
Yet he was the only figure the party was prepared to put up for interview with the Jewish media ahead of next week’s conference in Birmingham — and even then only a 10-minute slot was granted.
It was once normal practice for the main parties to offer a leader, home secretary or foreign secretary to discuss key issues ahead of the annual political jamboree.
When Amber Rudd, Home Secretary, spoke at a Jewish charity dinner earlier this month I said it was the start of a new era for the government and the community.
But some parts of that relationship have been neglected since Theresa May became Prime Minister in July.
The Conservatives have largely kept their distance. Requests to speak to ministers have gone unacknowledged. No specific policies have been outlined on issues such as religious practices.
Sajid Javid, the Communities Minister, is the exception. His address to the Chief Rabbi’s conference earlier Theresa May: opportunity this month was another masterclass in how to tackle serious issues.
There is an obvious reason for the party’s approach — or lack of one. While Jeremy Corbyn continues to make Labour as palatable to a Jewish audience as a plate of
— slow-cooked pigs trotters in milk — the Tories can sit back and mind their own business.
Is it a touch harsh to criticise them for failing to attack Mr Corbyn and Labour’s response to the antisemitism crisis more vociferously? When I put that point to Sir Patrick he argued it was “unfair”. He was not responsible for Labour’s “internal party management”, he said.
David Cameron had relished his despatch box assaults on Mr Corbyn, and Mrs May was waiting for her turn, the chairman added. Fair enough, perhaps. But does the Jewish community not deserve something more substantial than this essentially laissez-faire attitude?
There is no reason to believe Mrs May will deviate from Mr Cameron’s staunch support for Israel, welcoming approach to Jewish religious practices, or continued understanding of our security needs.
This, however, is a community crying out for reassurance and political guardians. Merely repeating wellrehearsed lines on a two-state solution and generic opposition to Jew-hatred is insufficient.
Britain’s Jews — on all sides of the political divide — need something more. They are unlikely to get it from Labour during another three-and-ahalf years under Mr Corbyn.
The Conservatives must be proactive, offer developed and thoughtout positions and show true leadership. In doing so they can fill the void opening as Labour implodes.
Mrs May and her colleagues have an opportunity to sew up Jewish support for decades to come. If they fail to take it, they will only have themselves to blame.