Liz Truss has set out a plan to “protect British Jews” from “rampant anti-Semitism” and “culture awakening” in the civil service, while praising Jews for upholding values such as protecting the family unit and setting up businesses.
The Tory leadership candidate released a plan that takes aim at “the woke civil service culture that is veering towards anti-Semitism”. He did not give examples of this, but it is believed to be a reference to municipalities and their pension funds that engage in Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) policies that involve cutting ties with companies that invest in Israel.
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“Every organization has its culture, but it’s not fixed, it can be changed,” he said. “That’s what ministerial leadership is all about: it’s about making sure the policies we stand for, the values we stand for, are reflected in what we do.”
The government is already legislating to outlaw BDS policies carried out by public bodies, to ban “boycotts that undermine community cohesion”.
Truss also questioned whether schools were doing enough to educate pupils and teachers about anti-Semitism and claimed he would rid university campuses of anti-Jewish hatred.
At the same time, he set out his own view of Jewish values, saying: “A lot of Jewish values are conservative values and also British values, for example, seeing the importance of family and always taking steps to protect the family unit; and the value of hard work and self-starting and building your own business.
“The British Jewish community is incredibly proud of this country and so are the Conservatives.”
Truss previously told Conservative Friends of Israel that as prime minister she would review whether to move the UK embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, following in Donald Trump’s footsteps.
A source in his campaign also accused Keir Starmer’s Labor of being a “talking shop for anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism” despite his efforts to iron out the party’s problems since taking office.
Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA union, which represents senior public and civil servants, called Truss’s comments about the civil service’s inroads into anti-Semitism “insulting and disgusting”.
“The Tories have been in government for over 12 years and for most of that time Liz Truss has been a minister. So the accusations of a ‘civil service awakening’ are somewhat ironic given that it’s essentially a critique of his own leadership,” he said.
“However, Truss’ accusation of anti-Semitism goes beyond the usual dog-whistle politics that has been displayed during this civil service leadership campaign. He provides no evidence for his accusation which many officials will find both insulting and repugnant.
“A prime minister is also a civil service minister, and to launch these unfounded inflammatory allegations illustrates the lack of leadership she claims to demonstrate.”