Dan Jarvis
MP for Barnsley North · Labour · United Kingdom
“Mr Speaker, may I associate myself, and I am sure all Members of this House, with your words of condolence for the late, great George Howarth? He was a hugely experienced parliamentarian, and he will be very much missed.”
“I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman’s analysis of the DIP, not least because it included £20 billion to rapidly increase the Army’s lethality and nearly £64 billion of investment in the UK’s nuclear enterprise. In addition, the defence investment plan will create up to 60,000 good, skilled jobs across the country.”
“I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising the important issue of support for Ukraine, and while it does appear that we in this House are unable to agree on the defence investment plan, I hope that we can agree on the importance of supporting our allies in Ukraine.”
“I should begin by declaring an interest as a veteran who served in Northern Ireland. This Government are absolutely committed to the troubles Bill, but we are also determined to ensure that everyone involved, including families and veterans, is treated with fairness, dignity and respect.”
“My hon. and gallant Friend raises an important point, and I know that he speaks with operational experience on these matters. I hope that he sees and understands the importance that we attach to these matters.”
“I am grateful to the hon. Lady for raising that important issue, and I pay tribute to her constituent and the work that he is doing in the constituency.”
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“I am grateful to the right hon. Lady for the work she does with her Select Committee, and she is right in the point she makes about the root causes. The Government have to ensure that not only are we tackling the root causes, but we have appropriate security and defence mechanisms in place. She will understand the rigour with which Jonathan Hall conducts his work on behalf of the Government. He is somebody with great credibility and experience in this field. It was his view that we do not currently have the appropriate legislative mechanism in order to properly proscribe a state entity, but, as I said to my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Tulip Siddiq) a moment ago, that will not stop this Government ensuring that we have all the measures in place.”
“I can also say that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will soon be consulting on plans to automatically ban individuals with a criminal conviction for hate crime from serving as charity trustees or senior managers and will consult on plans to strengthen the commission’s powers to disqualify individuals where there is evidence that they have promoted violence or hatred. This is important work, and we need to progress it at pace.”
“My hon. Friend makes a really important point, which emphasises the fact that the levers that we have in government do not sit within a single Department, and that is why we have to ensure that we have a co-ordinated response. On the point about charities specifically, the Government have announced plans to strengthen the Charity Commission’s powers to close down charities that promote extremism. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with the Charity Commission to speed up the process of investigating charities suspected of engaging in extremist behaviour, including strengthening its powers to close them down if needed.”
“Gentleman’s question about assistance from other forces is interesting—clearly, that will be for the Met to determine. However, I can say to him that we will work very closely to ensure that the police have the resources they require.”
“The hon. Gentleman makes an entirely reasonable point. Before I come to the substance of his question, I reiterate our commitment to ensuring that no state, regardless of who it is, is able to target people in this country, whether that is members of Jewish communities, as in this case, or Iranian dissidents. I can assure him that a huge amount of work is under way to ensure that cannot happen. The hon. Gentleman made an entirely reasonable point about ensuring that the Metropolitan police have the resources they need to do a very difficult job at a point of challenge. As he would expect, I have been in regular contact with the police over the course of this weekend, and, as I mentioned earlier, I met with Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes this morning to discuss what further support we can provide. The hon.”
“I know that my hon. Friend will understand that it is not for me as the Security Minister to set out future parliamentary business—I would get into quite a lot of trouble with the Leader of the House, and no doubt others. My hon. Friend will have heard, however, the commitments made by the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary, the Foreign Secretary and me. We have accepted Mr Hall’s recommendations. He delivered an important piece of work at the Government’s behest and we will move at pace to make good on those commitments. My hon. Friend and the House should understand, however, that we will not wait to take the necessary actions to keep the public safe.”
“The hon. Gentleman’s constituent’s words are deeply concerning and the situation is totally unacceptable. I hope that he will acknowledge that the Government have put a lot of money into protecting places of worship around the country. Given the particular circumstances of that case, however, perhaps he might drop me a note with the details. I give an assurance that I will look carefully at it and see what we can do.”
“Of course, I would be very happy to meet my hon. Friend and the CST, which I engage with on a very regular basis. He is right to describe this as a pattern of behaviour. I hope he accepts that we are doing everything that we possibly can, not just to deter and disrupt this activity, but to defeat it. He will have seen the decisive action over the weekend—15 arrests. Clearly, I am not going to prejudice ongoing investigations, and we do not know quite where those investigations will lead, but that is a significant level of activity by the Metropolitan police over the weekend. As I said earlier, anybody who is considering undertaking this kind of activity at the behest of some other entity for payment should have a very long, hard think about doing it.”
“I am grateful to the hon. Member for raising those points. He is absolutely right that this abhorrent targeting has no place in our society—not now, not ever. Although I completely accept his characterisation of many British Jews currently feeling fearful, it is important to make the point—as I saw myself this morning—that the resilience and enduring decency of our Jewish communities, looking out for each other and working with a range of other community groups, are incredibly inspiring and impressive to see. We should not lose sight of that; that is a real light in a moment of darkness. To answer his question directly, of course I will be happy to meet him and the families.”
“I hope that across the House there is a shared endeavour and an absolute determination to ensure that this does not become the new normal that we have to endure. None of us wants that to be the case. My hon. Friend is right to raise the importance of tackling the root causes, and hopefully he will have heard my earlier answers, but he is also right to make the point that this work needs to be properly co-ordinated across Government. Although there is an important role for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in leading this work, it needs a response from the whole system and the whole of Government. I assure him that through the Home Office and the Cabinet Office, and with other supporting Departments, we make sure that that is the case.”
“I agree with pretty much all of what the hon. Member said, and I join him in commending the important work of the police and the fire service. On proscription, he knows that it is the long-standing policy of successive Governments that we do not talk about it, because that would be helpful to our adversaries, but we do look very carefully at the extent to which we can deploy proscription in a meaningful, targeted and effective way. The hon. Member should also understand—I know that he does—that it is but one tool in our armoury. There are many other things that we can do, and there are many other things that we are doing and will do.”
“My hon. Friend is right to raise the importance of community relations. He is also right that we have seen a number of clearly calculated attacks in recent times. He will understand that I do not want to get in front of a live and ongoing police operation, and it is not for me to categorise the nature of these attacks, but I again make the point that the Metropolitan police has arrested a number of people over the weekend. Should any further individuals be considering conducting any more attacks, I strongly advise them against doing so.”
“I am grateful to the hon. Member for his point and the way in which he made it, not least because it gives me an opportunity to say that while we are primarily talking about London, I have concerns about these kind of activities right around the country. To answer his question directly, yes, it is always my default instinct to work closely with colleagues in the Scottish Government, and I give him an assurance that that is what we will do.”
“My hon. Friend makes a very important point. I can give her an absolute assurance of the seriousness with which operational partners, including the National Crime Agency, the intelligence services, the Metropolitan police and others, take these threats. It is the job of Government to make sure that those partners have the necessary resources to conduct this work. She is right to raise concerns about activity online, but I can assure her that we take this very seriously, and are working at pace to ensure that anyone conducting this kind of activity is brought to justice.”
“This Government will take swift action. That is precisely why the Home Secretary commissioned Lord Macdonald to look at the issues that the hon. Member has raised. She will have heard the responses I have given about proscription.”
“I will give the hon. Member that assurance. I am grateful to her for mentioning her recent visit to Auschwitz. I visited Auschwitz with the Holocaust Educational Trust. It was one of the most moving things I have ever done, and I recommend that all Members do it.”
“I am grateful to my hon. Friend. He is right that we all have an absolute responsibility to call out racism and bigotry, wherever we experience it. He is also right that a range of malign forces is seeking to sow division and disharmony across our country and in our communities. I give him an absolute assurance that there is an extensive programme of activity across Government Departments to ensure that we have the requisite tools and resources to counter the misinformation and disinformation from those who would seek to divide us.”
“The hon. Member is right that we should be—and I think are—very proud of our collective Jewish heritage. I pay tribute to her nan. I hope the hon. Member would acknowledge that the Rycroft review is an important step forward in tackling some of the issues that she raised. I hope she understands how seriously we take the commitments that we have made. As the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has described, we will bring forward amendments as soon as we can.”
“At moments like this, it can be tempting to focus on those who seek to divide our communities, but it is also important to reflect, as I have done, on the extraordinary good work in communities right around our country. On the point that my hon. Friend made at the end of his remarks, the National Security Act 2023 provides us with the legislative framework we need to take action against those who would seek to undermine our national security, and we will do everything we can to keep the public safe.”
“I have described the actions that we will take, but it is also important to recognise the work that the police do, often in difficult and challenging circumstances. There has been an impressive response from the Met over the past few days; we need to ensure that it has the support to continue that. If the hon. Member has any particular issues with regard to his local synagogue or local community, I would be happy to meet him to discuss them.”
“I am sorry to say that the hon. Lady’s characterisation is not fair. I have been incredibly clear about the work and the support that we are providing to Jewish communities. We take that incredibly seriously. Where there is a requirement to do more, and to do things differently, we will not hesitate to do so. Where we need to introduce new legislation, we will not hesitate to do so. The Government will ensure that all communities are kept safe.”
“We have invested a record amount of money in ensuring that places of worship right around the country have the support, security and defences that they require. That is a priority for the Government. We will always want to ensure that people can practise their faith and go about their business unimpeded by the threats that we have seen. I give him that commitment. I hope that the fact that we have brought forward record levels of resource for this demonstrates the seriousness with which we take it.”
“The Minister for Policing and Crime, the Home Secretary and I—and all our ministerial colleagues —will do everything we need to do to ensure that the Metropolitan police and all police forces around the country have the resources they need to do this difficult job. Yes, there are moments of challenge, but we will ensure that our response is proportionate to the nature of the threat. Whatever it takes, we will provide it.”
“I am grateful to the hon. Member, not least because he has consistently advocated for people’s right to religious belief, and to worship safely and freely. This gives me the opportunity to pay tribute to the important work of the Community Security Trust. The Government are proud to partner it, and we have put forward record levels of investment to support its work. It does an extraordinary job, and we should all be grateful to it for that.”
“My hon. Friend is right to raise this matter, because misinformation and disinformation seek to undermine our institutions and divide our communities. The defending democracy taskforce is addressing these threats through a whole-of-society approach, and we are also working closely with partners to hold platforms accountable for harmful content under the Online Safety Act 2023.”
“As the hon. Gentleman knows, these are matters that we take very seriously and are addressing through the work of the defending democracy taskforce.”
“I will finish by addressing our Jewish community directly: whether you live here in London or in any other part of the United Kingdom, please know that we stand with you, we are here for you, and we will do everything in our power to keep you and your family safe—not just today, after this appalling incident, but every day. I commend this statement to the House.”
“In recognition of the importance of education in preventing young minds from being polluted, we have committed £7 million to combat antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities, and we have launched a review, led by Sir David Bell, into antisemitism in schools and colleges, which is expected to conclude in the autumn. We do all of this and more because it is right, because it is our responsibility and because, as the Home Secretary has repeatedly made clear, no one should have to live a smaller Jewish life in this country.”
“We are also strengthening police powers for dealing with repeat protests, which have been a source of concern for many in the Jewish community, and the Home Secretary has commissioned Lord Macdonald to undertake a review to consider how public order laws can be improved to keep hate and intimidation off our streets. However, we can only prevent the manifestations of this evil if we address the cause by tackling the very existence of antisemitism in this country. That means adopting and enforcing a posture of zero tolerance in every part of our society. The Online Safety Act 2023 will compel tech platforms to protect UK users from illegal antisemitic material. Meanwhile, we are acting to drive antisemitism out of the NHS, with stronger mandatory training and an urgent review led by Lord Mann.”
“While our country’s national security and law enforcement agencies retain a relentless focus on the threat, such is its perseverance and potency that we have a responsibility to do more. It is a terrible indictment that we should need to do this, but we must do it and we are doing it. The demand for extra measures and precautions, such as those provided so expertly by the Community Security Trust, is only intensifying. That is why, in the wake of the Manchester attack, we increased the funding available via the Jewish community protective security grant to a record £28 million, a level that we are maintaining in the next financial year.”
“The Prime Minister has made it clear that this Government will lead the way, through, for instance, the relentless national security effort that is being mounted around the clock by MI5 and the police, who of course have our full backing in their work to detect and disrupt plots targeting the Jewish community in our country. While those activities must necessarily take place away from view, our willingness to take strong and decisive action when threats present themselves has been underscored again in recent weeks, with three men jailed over a foiled terrorist plot targeting the Jewish community in Greater Manchester and a separate investigation of suspected surveillance of locations and individuals linked to the Jewish community in the London area, which resulted in two men being charged last week under the National Security Act 2023.”
“Shocking though it was to wake to this morning’s developments, I know that for many this outrage, occurring as it has at a time of profound distress and vulnerability in our Jewish communities, will not have come as a surprise given the vicious torrent of antisemitism that was unleashed following the 7 October attacks, a dreadful manifestation of which we saw, to our horror, in Manchester last year when Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue was the subject of a sickening act of terrorism on Yom Kippur. Today, as at that profoundly difficult moment and as in the aftermath of the subsequent atrocity on Bondi Beach in Sydney, we declare once more that we stand with our Jewish friends, colleagues and neighbours, and with the oldest hatred on the rise, we assert our unwavering commitment to defeating it.”
“No arrests have been made, but I take this opportunity to urge anyone with information to contact the police. Officers are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for the attack, and establishing the accuracy of that claim is a priority for the investigation team. As the Home Secretary told the House earlier, support for the Jewish community in London is being stepped up. The police have the unshakable backing of this Government—and, I am sure, the whole House—in their effort to find the perpetrators of this awful crime, who should be in no doubt whatsoever that they will be pursued and made to face the consequences. I also wish to echo the Home Secretary’s words in thanking the police and the fire and rescue service for the speed and professionalism of their response, which was vital in averting an even worse outcome.”
“We fully support the police in their efforts to bring the perpetrators to account, and we are equally committed to ensuring that Hatzola suffers no lasting impact. As the Secretary of State for Health has confirmed, four replacement ambulances will be in place by tomorrow morning, and the Government will fund permanent replacements to ensure that this essential service remains strong and fully equipped. Nearby houses were evacuated as a precaution, but residents were allowed to return quickly to their homes. Thankfully, no injuries occurred. The House will be aware that the police are treating this arson attack as an antisemitic hate crime. The investigation is now being led by Counter Terrorism Policing, although I should emphasise that the attack has not been declared a terrorist incident at this stage.”
“With permission, I will make a statement on the abhorrent arson attack in Golders Green, north London. I will begin with the facts as they are currently known. At 1.45 this morning, the Metropolitan police and the London Fire Brigade were called to reports of a fire in Highfield Road, Golders Green. Officers attended the scene, where four ambulances from Hatzola, a volunteer-led ambulance service run by members of the Jewish community, were on fire. The attack occurred in the car park of a local synagogue, where Hatzola’s vehicles for the area are based. I can tell the House that the vital work of this organisation will continue uninterrupted, with its highly trained volunteers responding to calls as steadfastly as ever. The Government are determined to deliver justice following this cowardly attack.”
“I give him an assurance that we are looking very closely at that. He also referenced the concern that I know lots of hon. Members will have about the protest activity that has taken place in recent times. That is precisely why the Home Secretary has commissioned Lord Macdonald to look at the issue, and we expect him to make recommendations as soon as he is practically able to do so.”
“Gentleman made a number of points, some of which I think were reasonable and some slightly less so. I think he made an entirely valid point about the need to counter extremism in our country, and these are measures that we are seeking to take. Again, I would never want to have this debate in a party political environment, but we do need to clamp down on those who seek to bring hate to our country, and the Home Secretary is absolutely clear that she will use all the powers available to her to do that. The shadow Home Secretary made a reasonable point about Prevent referrals, and he has flagged that with me previously. That is not new to this Government—it goes back under the previous Government—and we are looking very carefully at what we can do to ensure that there is much less of the mismatch he described.”
“We recognise that, and we give an absolute commitment to do everything we possibly can and to use every power we have to keep that community safe—and if there is a requirement for additional powers, we will make sure we put those in place. The right hon. Gentleman mentioned the Community Security Trust. I want to take this opportunity, and I know he will join me in doing so, to pay tribute to the extraordinary dedication and work not just of those employed by the CST, but of the extraordinary volunteer team, whom I have seen, as other hon. Members will have done, who do an extraordinary job under difficult circumstances. It is an inspiring organisation—I spoke to the chief executive this morning—and I know all of us in this place will want to do everything we possibly can to support it. The right hon.”
“Let me begin with what I hope is a point of consensus between the shadow Home Secretary and me. I think he will agree that any attack on the Jewish community is not just an attack on the Jewish community or on London, but an attack on our whole country. I think we send a very powerful message as a House of Commons if we stand together in saying that such attacks are completely unacceptable. The shadow Home Secretary referred, I think slightly unfairly, to warm words. These are not warm words; these words are a statement of solidarity on behalf of the Government, and I hope on behalf of all of us in this place, in standing with the Jewish community at what is a very significant point of challenge for them.”
“I am very grateful to my hon. Friend and to other colleagues for the work they have done. It is at moments like this when we see the very worst of our country, but also the best: the brave men and women in the police, our intelligence services, and the fire and rescue service stepping forward to do everything they can to provide support. The police are engaged in a very significant operation to try to track down the perpetrators of this awful crime and bring them to justice. I know that they will have my hon. Friend’s support and the support of the whole House.”
“There are lots of different bits of Government engaged, because this is a challenge right across the system—the Home Office, the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care and local government—and we will ensure that all that work is properly co-ordinated in the way that he would expect. Let me also agree with the hon. Gentleman’s sentiment about police numbers. We inherited a situation in which police numbers were declining. The Home Secretary and colleagues in the Home Office are crystal clear that we want to drive those numbers up.”
“The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that hate like this will never be normalised. I spoke to the assistant commissioner this morning and, along with senior colleagues in the Metropolitan police, I know there is an extensive operation under way to provide reassurance to communities across London. There will be engagement taking place as we speak. The assistant commissioner met community leaders earlier on this afternoon and we are expecting a statement from the Met commissioner later today. That engagement with communities and that visible policing presence are under way. The hon. Gentleman is right to refer to the cohesion strategy. Let me give him an assurance on the importance we attach to it.”
“I can provide my hon. Friend with the assurance he seeks. Extensive engagement has been under way throughout the day and it will continue for as long as it is required, along with a visible policing presence in the right place. He is right to pay tribute to all those who have stepped forward to volunteer in the way that he described; I know that it is a huge priority for the Prime Minister to ensure that their efforts are recognised. I know that my hon. Friend will understand the seriousness with which we take this issue.”
“I agree with the Father of the House, who makes a very powerful point; hopefully there is consensus on all of that. I want to take the opportunity to reiterate the Government’s horror at what happened; what took place in the early hours of this morning was despicable. Extensive activity is under way to try to hunt down those who are responsible, and I very much hope we will see progress on that in the near future.”
“I will join my hon. Friend in that. The CST is very well known to Members across the House—I have worked closely with it for a long time. It is an inspiring organisation, and the Government are proud to count it as a close and trusted partner. At this time of challenge for the CST and for our Jewish communities, I hope very much that the whole country will stand alongside and support the trust’s work.”
“I can absolutely provide the right hon. Gentleman with the assurance that he rightly seeks. I hope he will have seen the responses earlier from the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary, and I hope he understands the seriousness with which the Government take these issues. He is right to challenge us in the way he has, but I give him an absolute assurance of the seriousness with which we take these issues. We will ensure that the police and intelligence agencies have all the resources they need to target those who would seek to cause division and disruption within our Jewish communities. Those communities are precious and valued within our country, and this Government will do everything we can to support them.”
“My hon. Friend is right to raise the importance of the cohesion strategy. I assure her that there is a lot of work on this issue being led by colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and we are working to ensure that it is joined up with all the different Departments. We completely recognise the concerns and fears that have been expressed by members of the Jewish community, and we are determined to make sure that the response of this Government is necessary and proportionate, given the nature of the threat that they face.”
“I think that all of us have a responsibility to be led by the Government and to make sure that we are crystal clear about our opposition to this activity and in saying that we will always do everything we can to stand against antisemitism wherever it raises its ugly head.”
“I am grateful to the hon. Member for that point and the way in which he raised it. I do accept that this Government—any Government—need to do everything they possibly can to provide the reassurance that the Jewish community both need and deserve. Some of that is about resource, and I am pleased that we have been able to increase protective security funding for Jewish communities to record levels, but he is right that more needs to be done beyond the allocation of resource. That is why a range of different activities are under way across Government to try to respond to this particular threat.”
“I can give my hon. Friend the reassurances that he seeks, and hopefully the words I have spoken will reassure those in his community about how seriously the Government take these kinds of threats. It is important to say that this must involve a range of different organisations. That is precisely why, in my earlier remarks, I detailed the work taking place in academia, the NHS and local government. We will ensure that wherever there are challenges in this regard, our response is joined up and properly resourced, and that we are clear across Government and across society that this kind of antisemitic behaviour is not acceptable.”