Starmer in Downing Street this morning:
“Security is essential, but that is not enough. We must also deal with the forces that drive this hatred in the first place, so we’re confronting them directly. One of the lines of inquiry is whether a foreign state has been behind some of these incidents. We’re investigating, of course, all the possibilities and we’re clear that these actions will have consequences if that proves to be the case.
“Our message to Iran, or to any other country that might seek to foment violence, hatred or division in society, is that it will not be tolerated. That is why we passed legislation to tackle these malign threats. We’re clear-eyed about the fact that antisemitism does not have one source alone: Islamists, far left, far right extremism, all target Jewish communities.
“That is why this Government has put in place the first co-ordinated national plan to strengthen cohesion and confront extremism in all of its forms.”
News of yet another suspected arson attack on a synagogue broke as Starmer was speaking…
The Met says:
“Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London are investigating a further arson incident at a former synagogue in east London.
Police were called at 05:16hrs on Tuesday, 5 May by the London Fire Brigade to reports of a fire at a former synagogue in Nelson Street, Tower Hamlets.
Officers were quickly on scene with firefighters. Minor damage was caused to a set of gates and a lock at the front of the building and no reports of any persons injured.
Initial CCTV enquiries indicate that the fire was started intentionally at approximately 05:10hrs and the incident is being treated as arson.
Given the nature of the incident and the location being a former synagogue, the incident is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Policing London. There have been no arrests at this time.”
While Starmer speaks on dealing with antisemitism…
From More in Common’s tracker: Zack Polanski’s approval rating has dropped by 14 points in one week. Sunlight is the best disinfectant…
“somewhat good” or “very good” job, minus those who think “somewhat bad” or “very bad”
New polling from JL Partners also shows that only 27% of the voting public can correctly identify Zack Polanski, the lowest of all party leaders apart from Rupert Lowe. Guido can only envy the 73%…
More in Common’s UK director Luke Tryl said: “it’s both a rise in negatives and a fall in positives, in particular more young people seem to have shifted from ‘good job’ to ‘neither good nor bad job’. So a mix of more disapproval and more uncertainty.” Labour is making hay as the Greens suffer from the same antisemitism problem which blighted Corbyn’s operation. Polanski’s run at power is Corbynism reheated…
Gaza ranks above the economy in determining how Muslim voters in Britain will vote, according to polling conducted by JL Partners for think tank Policy Exchange. Polling shows differences in political attitudes which have grown very stark indeed:
- 60% of British Muslim respondents would consider voting for a pro-Gaza independent candidate specifically to prevent Labour from winning locally. Labour is now as unpopular as Reform or the Conservatives…
- 52% of British Muslim respondents support criminalising public depictions of Prophet Muhammad; 63% support criminalising burning holy books.
- 24% of British Muslims surveyed believe violence can be a legitimate response to someone burning the Qur’an or depicting Prophet Muhammad. Compared to 10% of the general population…
- Around one in seven British Muslim respondents hold a favourable view of ISIS (16%) and Al-Qaeda (15%). A quarter (25%) view Hamas favourably.
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has a net positive favourability rating (+4) among the British Muslim respondents.
- 45% of British Muslim respondents believe Jews have too much power over the media, 42% over banking, and 43% over weapons manufacturing. Among Muslim university graduates, 50% believe Jews have too much power over the media…
- Labour’s vote share among British Muslims in the polled areas has dropped from 41% at the 2024 general election to 33% current voting intention. With the Greens surging from 18% to 27%…
- 9% of British Muslim respondents say they have handed their blank ballot paper to another person during an election. Double the general population rate…
- 63% of British Muslim respondents rank their religious identity as the most important part of their personal identity, versus 12% for the general population. Only 12% of Muslim respondents rank British national identity first, compared to 43% of the general public…
- 48% of British Muslim respondents support banning all Israeli-built technology from the NHS.
- Among 18–24-year-old British Muslims, pro-Gaza independent candidates are the leading voting choice, 43% select Israel-Gaza as a top-three local election issue.
Read the full report below:
Continue reading “POLL: Three in Five Muslim Voters Would Vote for Gaza Independent to Stop Labour”
Housing Secretary Steve Reed on Sky News this morning, asked if Angela Rayner should return to the Cabinet:
“I think in time. I think she did a great job, I’m a big fan and friend of Angela Rayner. She’s really good at communicating, can cut through to voters, she has a role to play.”
The Times reported last night that Labour MPs are plotting a Brownite-style ‘putsch’ after Thursdays local elections, with demands for Starmer to set a date for his resignation. Rayner’s allies insist she has the 81 MPs needed to launch a challenge. But no one wants to make the first move, yet…
Speaking to Adam Boulton on Times Radio about kicking the Golders Green suspect, Heidi Alexander said:
“I thought that if I was in the shoes of that police officer, then if I’m honest, given the situation, and the fact that he had a backpack on his back, and they were worried about whether that might go off, I could, if I was a police officer, frankly, I could see myself having taken similar action.”
