John Mann to step down as a Labour MP at the election and become government advisor on opposing Anti-Semitism
A lot of MPs of all parties, some of whom - again, of all parties - I think are good people are stepping down at the next election.
Today it was announced that John Mann MP will be one of them. He is also taking up a position as an independent advisor to the government on Anti-Semitism.
There are not many people in politics about whom my opinions have changed as dramatically as my view of John Mann has.
Sadly there are a fair number of people in most parties who have tried to make a career of dredging up dirt on members of rival parties others and launching often spurious ethics complaints or accusations of racism against them. I did originally have the impression that John Mann was one of these.
I have very much revised that opinion in recent years as I have seen him repeatedly call out Anti-Semitism in all parties including his own.
None of the major UK parties is entirely free of Anti-Semitism, Anti-Muslim prejudice or other forms of racism and none can afford to be complacent on the subject.
John Mann told the Jewish Chronicle that he had witnessed open antisemitism as recently as last Thursday when he was with David Delew, Chief Executive of the Community Security Trust, and his wife at an outside table at Reubens kosher restaurant in London.
"It was after the CST's advisory board meeting. I joined Mr and Mrs Delew for a conversation when we were subjected to casual but explicitly antisemitic abuse from four people passing by.
"It was 'Jew this...Jew that' to two members of the community and myself who were just sitting outside having some food and attempting to chat.
"That's the scale of the problem - it's becoming normalised."
There is a very informative piece in the Jewish Chronicle about John Mann's new role and his concerns about Anti-Semitism which you can read here.
Today it was announced that John Mann MP will be one of them. He is also taking up a position as an independent advisor to the government on Anti-Semitism.
There are not many people in politics about whom my opinions have changed as dramatically as my view of John Mann has.
Sadly there are a fair number of people in most parties who have tried to make a career of dredging up dirt on members of rival parties others and launching often spurious ethics complaints or accusations of racism against them. I did originally have the impression that John Mann was one of these.
I have very much revised that opinion in recent years as I have seen him repeatedly call out Anti-Semitism in all parties including his own.
None of the major UK parties is entirely free of Anti-Semitism, Anti-Muslim prejudice or other forms of racism and none can afford to be complacent on the subject.
John Mann told the Jewish Chronicle that he had witnessed open antisemitism as recently as last Thursday when he was with David Delew, Chief Executive of the Community Security Trust, and his wife at an outside table at Reubens kosher restaurant in London.
"It was after the CST's advisory board meeting. I joined Mr and Mrs Delew for a conversation when we were subjected to casual but explicitly antisemitic abuse from four people passing by.
"It was 'Jew this...Jew that' to two members of the community and myself who were just sitting outside having some food and attempting to chat.
"That's the scale of the problem - it's becoming normalised."
There is a very informative piece in the Jewish Chronicle about John Mann's new role and his concerns about Anti-Semitism which you can read here.
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