Lord John Mann, the government's independent adviser on antisemitism, has faced criticism after launching an attack on Conservative leadership candidate
Kemi Badenoch on X/Twitter. Mann, who was reappointed to his role last month by the new Labour government, claimed that Badenoch, the former business and trade secretary, showed "no interest whatsoever" in antisemitism. He further alleged that it took months to arrange a meeting with her and, when they finally met, she displayed no curiosity or concern about the issue.
Mann's remarks were met with significant backlash. Lord Wolfson, a Conservative former justice minister who is Jewish, countered Mann’s claims, stating, "That’s not my experience of her, nor that of many others." He suggested that Mann's criticism might be influenced by his position within the Labour Party, urging him to focus on addressing political opponents rather than criticizing allies.
Lance Foreman, a former Brexit Party MEP and also Jewish, dismissed Mann’s accusations as "absolute nonsense," sharing that he had personally discussed the UK-Israel trade deal with Badenoch during her tenure as minister, noting her deep involvement in the matter.
John Mann, a former Labour MP for Bassetlaw from 2001 to 2019, was initially appointed as an independent adviser on antisemitism by then-Prime Minister Theresa May in 2019.
Kemi Badenoch is one of six candidates vying to succeed Rishi Sunak as Conservative Party leader. Other contenders include former foreign secretary James Cleverly, former home office minister Robert Jenrick, former home secretary Priti Patel, former work and pensions secretary Mel Stride, and former security minister Tom Tugendhat.
In a recent Mail on Sunday column, Badenoch criticized pro-Palestine demonstrators following the events of October 7, accusing them of using protests against Israel as a pretext to attack Jews. She also compared Hamas to the Islamist group Boko Haram during the general election campaign.
In 2023, after meeting with the Chief Rabbi, Badenoch, who previously served as equalities minister, reaffirmed her commitment to combating antisemitism, stating, "There is no place for antisemitism in Britain. We are committed to fully rooting out its tragic resurgence." Photo by Roger Harris, Wikimedia commons.