Our 60 MP Week
As part of our work magnifying and amplifying the voices of our members, we regularly meet with MPs, ministers, and other decisionmakers to ensure that the Jewish community's concerns and interests are heard at the highest levels. We're proud to meet with parliamentarians from across the political spectrum to raise the voices of our members. The week of the 14th of October was no exception, and despite it being truncated by Sukkot, we were able to meet with around 60 MPs - nearly 10% of all MPs - in just a few days!
On Tuesday 15th of October, we were thrilled to organise a highly successful and well-attended drop-in event for the Union of Jewish Students and University Jewish Chaplaincy. Both members work together on campuses across the country, supporting the welfare of Jewish students and ensuring their voices are heard. The JLC has organised several drop-ins over the past 12 months, and we have found them to be a fantastic way of highlighting the work of members to large numbers of MPs. In 2024 alone, we've already facilitated drop-ins for Jewish Women’s Aid, the Community Security Trust (alongside the Antisemitism Policy Trust) and Chai Cancer Care.
Connor Rand, MP for Altrincham and Sale West, hosted our UJS & Chaplaincy drop-in, and over the course of 90 minutes we had a constant stream of MPs representing Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Some were MPs with whom we have had long standing relationships, while others joined after receiving the JLC's invitation, eager to lend their support.
All totalled, 35 MPs and two Lords attended the drop-in, including the Higher Education Minister Baroness Smith, Solicitor General Sarah Sackman, members of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat front benches, and the Chair of the Education Select Committee Helen Hayes.
Alongside this drop-in event, we also held meetings with over twenty other MPs in the same week. Among these MPs were Deputy Leader of the Opposition Oliver Dowden, PPS to the Prime Minister Chris Ward, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary State for Transformation Andrew Western. We were proud that many of the MPs who we met were newly elected in July, allowing us to ensure the future of our engagement and relationships. We brought the Antisemitism Policy Trust and our member the CST to many of these meetings, so that MPs could discuss key policy issues in detail with them.
Looking ahead, we'll be continuing our political engagement at full pace, meeting with ministers and influential MPs. We have also organised drop-ins for Mitzvah Day (alongside the Board of Deputies) and World Jewish Relief for later this year and plan to do many more in 2025.
