AI designs antibiotics for gonorrhoea and MRSA superbugs
Artificial intelligence has invented two new potential antibiotics that could kill drug-resistant gonorrhoea and MRSA, researchers have revealed. The drugs were designed atom-by-atom by the AI and killed the superbugs in laboratory and animal tests. The two compounds still need years of refinement and clinical trials before they could be prescribed.
But the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) team behind it say AI could start a "second golden age" in antibiotic discovery.
Antibiotics kill bacteria, but infections that resist treatment are now causing more than a million deaths a year.
Overusing antibiotics has helped bacteria evolve to dodge the drugs' effects, and there has been a shortage of new antibiotics for decades.
Researchers have previously used AI to trawl through thousands of known chemicals in an attempt to
identify ones with potential to become new antibiotics. Now, the MIT team have gone one step further by using generative AI to design antibiotics in the first place for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea and for potentially-deadly MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).
Their study, published in the journal Cell, interrogated 36 million compounds including those that either do not exist or have not yet been discovered. Scientists trained the AI by giving it the chemical structure of known compounds alongside data on whether they slow the
growth of different species of bacteria.
The AI then learns how bacteria are affected by different molecular structures, built of atoms such as carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen. Two approaches were then tried to design new antibiotics with AI. The
first identified a promising starting point by searching through a library of millions of chemical fragments, eight to 19 atoms in size, and built from there. The second gave the AI free rein from the start. The design process also weeded out anything that looked too similar to current antibiotics. It also tried to ensure they were inventing medicines rather than soap and to filter out anything predicted to be toxic to humans.
Scientists used AI to create antibiotics for gonorrhoea and MRSA, a type of bacteria that lives harmlessly on the skin but can cause a serious infection if it enters the body. Once manufactured, the leading designs were tested on bacteria in the lab and on infected mice, resulting in two new potential drugs. "We're excited because we show that generative AI can be used to design completely new antibiotics," Prof James Collins, from MIT, tells the BBC.
UK economic growth slows but beats forecasts
Desk report:
UK economic growth slowed between April and June, according to official figures, but came in better than expected.
The economy expanded by 0.3%, down from 0.7% in the first three months of the year, the Office for National Statistics said.
The biggest contribution came from services while the construction industry also grew.
The government has made boosting economic growth a key priority and the latest data beat forecasts of 0.1% expansion, which would have been near stagnation.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the figures "beat expectations" but added there was "still more to do" so people in all parts of the country benefit from growth. The economy performed better than expected in June, and the ONS also revised up figures for April - instead of shrinking by 0.3%, it now said the economy contracted by 0.1%.
Experts suggested that hot, dry weather helped lift activity in the construction industry, which expanded by 1.2% in the three months to June.
In the services sector, computer programming including consultancy, software installation and disaster recovery helped
push up growth. Vehicle rentals and health services such as doctors' surgeries, hospitals and nursing homes also boosted the economy. Retailing dragged on growth over the period but picked up towards the end.
Compared with other members of the G7 - the
world's richest nationsthe UK economy grew the fastest in the first three months of the year, but not the second. However, taken together, the UK may have had the fastest growth in the first half of 2025. The resilience of the UK economy may prompt the Bank of England
to be more reluctant about cutting interest rates, said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown.
She said policymakers may choose to hold off until inflation begins heading back to the Bank of England's 2% target.Last week, the Bank raised its inflation forecasts and now expects the pace of price rises to peak at 4% later this year before receding to the target in 2027.
But Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist at Capital Economics, said it was doubtful the country "will maintain this pace of growth" between July and September."The weak global economy will remain a drag on UK growth for a while yet," she said. "The full drag on business investment from April's tax rises has yet to be felt. And the ongoing speculation about further tax rises in the Autumn Budget will probably keep consumers in a cautious mood."
In the blood: Thalassaemia, the family gene you need to know about
Desk report: Reena had never heard of Thalassaemia until her son, Jovan, was diagnosed at 18-months-old.
“Ever since he was born, my son wasn’t drinking his milk and was underweight,” Reena says. “Every single time he’d get a cold, it would turn into a temperature, and eventually we had to take him to hospital to get antibiotics through a cannula.”
Thalassaemia is the name given to a group of inherited blood conditions. People with these conditions produce either no, or too little, haemoglobin. This can lead to health problems, as haemoglobin is used by red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body.
Thalassaemia can have a significant impact on lives. It can result in anaemia, leading to fatigue, poor growth and, in severe cases, lifelong dependence on blood transfusions, sometimes as often as every 2-4 weeks.
“The first thing I’d say is having a child that needs regular blood transfusions is really hard,” says Reena, who lives in Medway. “It took me a while to come to terms with emotionally, not to mention the mental toll on Jovan and all of us in taking him to appointments so often.”
Blood transfusions are a two-day process for Jovan and his family, requiring them to attend hospital on a Sunday for blood tests and Monday for the blood transfusion. Reena says: “On the day of the blood transfusion, we’re normally there for about 8:30am and we finish by about 3pm on a good day. It’s hard because my husband and I work fulltime. Managing his condition around work has been a challenge.”
Although anyone can have Thalassaemia, it’s much more common in people from South Asian, Southeast Asian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern backgrounds.
There are around 2,300 people with Thalassaemia in the UK, with an estimated 800 people with the severe form of the condition relying on regular blood transfusions. In the UK, the largest groups affected are of Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi ethnicity.
How do you get Thalassaemia?
Thalassaemia can only
be passed from parents to children through genes. Around 200,000 people in England carry the gene for Thalassaemia.
Having the Thalassaemia gene (not the condition) will not generally cause you any health problems, but you’re at risk of having children or grandchildren who either have Thalassaemia or carry the gene. It may also mean other members of your biological family could be carriers too, such as parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Dr Rossby Awadzi, a GP trainee and author of an
does too, your body follows both. The result? Your haemoglobin doesn’t work as expected, or at all.”
If both partners are carriers, there is a one in four (25%) chance their baby will have Thalassaemia. There is a two in four (50%) chance the baby will carry the gene.
As a blood condition, Thalassaemia runs deep through generations.
Naseema, who is from Preston, has two sons. Like Reena, she had never heard of Thalassaemia before.
“I had never met anyone
NHS England blog on inherited blood disorders, explains. “Genes are like family recipes. You get one copy from your mum, one from your dad. And sometimes, those recipes carry differences from the standard originals. If one parent hands you a slightly misspelt recipe for making haemoglobin and the other
with Thalassaemia in my life,” she says. “When I was pregnant with Yusuf, my eldest, we found out that my husband and I were carriers of the trait.
“Both sets of our parents only had a vague memory of being told about Thalassaemia, and over the years, this information
to get the blood test or ask for genetic counselling may make a big difference to their wellbeing.
Dr Rossby explains: “Knowing now is kinder than reacting later. Once pregnancy begins, the clock ticks faster, emotions run deeper, and decisions become heavier. Genetic counselling should clear up myths, give real options, and remind people that knowledge is power, not punishment.” Why giving blood is important to help people with Thalassaemia give?
Blood donations are vital in helping those who need regular transfusions. They usually take 5-10 minutes and one blood donation can save 3 lives.
was forgotten about or not deemed important.”
How do I find out if I am a carrier of the Thalassaemia gene?
You can contact your GP practice or Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Centre to ask if they can provide the Thalassaemia blood test.
Reena says “Once Jovan was diagnosed, I encouraged my brothers and sisters to get a blood test to see if they had it. It doesn’t get picked up in an ordinary blood test so it’s important to specifically ask for a Thalassaemia blood test.”
Knowing if you’re a carrier as early as possible is important. It could affect your family’s future health.
Naseema says, “It was only when I told my best friend about Thalassaemia that her mum remembered her sister was a carrier. These conversations can help improve lives.”
All pregnant women and newborn babies in England are offered a test for Thalassaemia and other inherited conditions. But it is a good idea to know if you are a carrier before you decide to have a baby.
Genetic counselling is also an option for those considering having children. For Reena, this is one of the most important things you can do. She says: “If you do find you carry the gene, at least you’ve got options available to you so you can make informed choices, such as IVF where they can remove the defective genes.”
Encouraging family members who may be thinking of having children
Donating blood is safe and the major religions in the UK support blood and organ donation.
Naseema’s son has benefitted from 138 blood transfusions in his nine years. She adds: “If there was a way I could singlehandedly thank every single person who has ever donated blood that Yusuf has received, I would. Your blood is literally the reason why my son stayed alive for another three weeks.”
What can I do to help? There are several ways you can help your family and people with Thalassaemia:
Give blood
Did you know that 3% of blood donors are from a South Asian background? Thalassaemia patients who need regular blood transfusions need blood that is closely matched to their own. Find out more and become a blood donor via the NHS Give Blood app or at www.blood.co.uk
Get tested
Getting tested for the Thalassaemia trait will give you important knowledge about your heritage and your family’s health. Contact your GP practice or Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Centre to see if they can offer free NHS testing for the trait via a simple blood test.
Spread the word Tell your family, friends about Thalassemia. Tell them that it’s important for all ethnicities to give blood to save lives. Tell them that there is a free blood test available, along with screening services for pregnant women and newborns.
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Desk report: The NHS waiting list in England has seen a small rise in the past month, with experts warning hospitals are not treating enough patients to keep up with demand.
At the end of June, the list stood at 7.37 million, a rise of 10,000 on May.
While it is still down on last year's figure of 7.62 million, internal documents seen by the BBC, suggest one factor is patients being removed from the list without being treated. This can happen legitimately when patients pay for treatment privately or recover – but experts say it shows the NHS is struggling to keep up.
The government said it was trying to ensure all patients who need care get it as soon as possible. The NHS has been encouraged to weed out patients who do not need to be on the waiting list, described as "validation" by officials, for a number of years.
Financial incentives are paid for the number of patients
Hospital treatments failing to meet demand, say experts
taken off and can also include patients who have died.
It can make services more efficient, as it means hospitals are not unnecessarily chasing up patients who no longer need treatment.
Internal documents showed that, during April and May, the
waiting list was brought down by 100,000 through weeding out patients. Without this the list would have increased.
The Nuffield Trust think-tank said the true number being removed could be even higher. Its analysis showed an
average of more than 200,000 removals a month over the last two years. The thinktank claimed that, on top of validation, computing errors could mean some patients are being automatically removed in error, creating an additional waiting list that does not show up in the figures.
Dr Becks Fisher, from the Nuffield Trust, said: "It would be easy to assume that recent reductions in the waiting list are down to the NHS treating a bigger number of patients each month but our analysis shows that presenting progress in this way is a mirage.
"The NHS is actually still treating fewer patients than are being referred."
She said while this waiting list "validation" exercise was "absolutely" the right thing to do in many cases, there needed to be greater transparency and understanding about just what is happening behind the scenes. The government said validation removals were only a small factor in the progress being made on the waiting list, pointing out the NHS was still managing to treat an increasing number of patients.
Screening the waiting list through the validation process was vital and ultimately improves productivity, they argue.
Man accused of Liverpool parade crash in tears as he faces 24 new charges
Desk report: A former Royal Marine accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool FC’s victory parade wept in court as he faced new charges.
Paul Doyle was accused of a total of 31 charges when he appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday.
The 53-year-old father of three, who already faced seven counts, was charged with a further 24, including assaulting and causing injury.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that six of the new charges relate to children, including two baby boys, one aged six months at the time and one aged seven months. Video footage seen at the time of the incident showed a pram carrying the six month old being flung into the air.
Mr Doyle wept throughout much of the 30-minute hearing, which was adjourned to give his defence team more time to prepare their case.
A total of 134 people, including eight children, were injured when a car ploughed into crowds celebrating Liverpool FC’s Premier League title win. The incident took place in the city’s Water Street just after Liverpool had paraded their Premier League trophy along the waterfront, in front of the city’s famous Royal Liver building, with thousands of supporters lining the route.
A flat-bed truck, which was being used to cordon off the street, had been moved by private contractors to let the emergency services through, just moments before the alleged crash happened.
New charges
Under the new charges Mr Doyle faces a further 17 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH); five counts of causing GBH with intent and one count of wounding with intent. Mr Doyle, of Croxteth, Liverpool, is charged with a total of 19
counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, seven counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, three counts of wounding with intent, one count of dangerous driving and one count of affray. He appeared remotely from the prison where he is being held in custody, sitting at a desk dressed in a grey t-shirt with a sheaf of documents and reading glasses in front of him.
Looking tense and breathing heavily he repeatedly burst into tears, weeping openly
when the ages of the youngest of those injured in the incident were read out.
When asked to confirm his name, Mr Doyle struggled to answer, sobbing as he spoke.
His Honour Judge Andrew Menary KC granted him more time to review the evidence against him and prepare his defence, adjourned the hearing until Sept 4, when details of the indictment will be put to him. Mr Doyle’s defence, Simon Csoka KC, said his client had only seen the details of the new charges a few hours before the
hearing was due to start and without access to a laptop in his prison cell had been unable to read any witness statements. These include the charge of attempted GBH of both toddlers and a 10-year-old girl.
Merseyside Police said 134 people were injured when Doyle allegedly drove his Ford Galaxy Titanium into crowds who were leaving the waterfront after the parade. The indictment accuses Mr Doyle of having “used or threatened unlawful violence towards other persons, and his conduct was such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety”.
Victims’ families attend court
A number of members of the public, including family members of those injured in the attack, were in court, along with more than a dozen journalists.
Mr Doyle, a businessman and data security expert, lives in the West Derby area of Liverpool, with his wife and three children.
He was in the Royal Marines for four years between 1990 and 1994, serving with 43 Commando, the unit based in Arbroath, Scotland, which helps secure the UK’s nuclear deterrent.
Desk report :
A sharp rise in migrant arrivals to Spain’s Balearic Islands has stoked fears that the archipelago could become a new gateway for irregular migration into Europe.
Over three days this week, 639 migrants landed in the Balearics aboard 38 small boats, bringing the total so far this year close to 4,500, according to the Spanish government.
The figure represents a 170 per cent increase compared with the same period last year and more than 500 per cent compared with 2023. The authorities in the Balearic Islands — Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, off eastern Spain — say they feel abandoned. Most of the vessels depart from Algeria, signalling that the Mediterranean route is gaining strength as flows from Mauritania to the Canary Islands fall sharply. The Canaries received 47,000 arrivals from west Africa in 2024 before tighter controls by Mauritania cut flows by nearly half this year.
Marga Prohens, the conservative head of the Balearic Islands regional
Balearic Islands emerge as new gateway to Europe for migrants
government, said Madrid had failed to provide sufficient resources or cooperation with Algeria to manage the surge. “Where is the government of Pedro Sánchez?” she wrote on X on Wednesday, referring to Spain’s Socialist prime minister. She warned that the increase demonstrates that a “route from Algeria is consolidated” and accused the central government of lacking an effective immigration policy. She demanded reinforcement
of law enforcement and collaboration with Algeria.
Alfonso Rodríguez, the central government’s regional representative, attributed the rise to calm seas and the exploitation of gaps in security by organised criminal networks. He dismissed the claim of a specific Algeria-to-Balearics “route”, framing it as a broader Mediterranean flow.
A government source specialising in border control suggested that the
increase in arrivals to the Balearic Islands was not a consequence of greater laxity on the part of the Algerian authorities, but the opposite. The source told El Pais: “Algeria is tightening its grip. In the Oran area, control is very tight: they’ve placed concrete blocks on the beaches; the navy patrols, the intelligence services are active.” Migrants who reach the Balearic Islands tend to set off from eastern, lessmonitored areas, according to El Pais. Most of them are
Somali refugees, fleeing a failed state, terrorist violence and food crises.
Among the latest arrivals is Konestory, a 20-yearold from South Sudan, who said in Palma that he fled instability in east Africa and paid $2,000 for passage from Algeria. The 46-hour crossing was plagued by rough seas, shortages of food and water and navigation problems. “Now I’m happy. I’m looking at ways to talk to my mum to give her the information that I reached here,” he said. The central government said in July it would strengthen the Balearics’ capacity to handle migrant arrivals. According to the interior ministry’s national security annual report, 5,882 migrants reached the Balearics irregularly in 2024, a record year. According to media in Mallorca, newly arrived migrants are left by the authorities for several hours in parks because of an absence of shelters before they board ferries to the mainland. Rodríguez said the government planned to build facilities in Palma, Ibiza and Formentera for migrants, who will stay on the islands for 24 to 48 hours.
‘Stop killing children’ banner not political, says Uefa
Desk report:
Uefa has insisted that its banner saying “Stop Killing Children — Stop Killing Civilians” at last night’s Super Cup between Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain was not a political message but about humanity. The banner was shown before the match in Udine, Italy, and two Palestinian refugee children joined seven others from conflict zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Ukraine at the opening ceremony.
A Uefa insider said the message was “not political but about humanity — in fact you could say it is just common sense”, and that it had been planned long before the Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah called out the European governing body last week on its tribute to a Palestinian footballer who was killed in an Israeli attack. Uefa’s rules do not permit political messages or
actions inside or in the vicinity of stadiums before, during or after matches. Its banner did not name a specific conflictSalah had posted on social media in response to Uefa’s tribute which did not mention the Palestine international Suleiman alObeid was killed when, according to a Palestinian
FA statement, Israeli military fired on civilians waiting for humanitarian aid last week. Obeid was nicknamed the “Palestinian Pelé” and Salah quoted Uefa’s message in his own post on X and said: “Can you tell us how he died, where and why?”
Uefa said in a statement on Wednesday announcing
the banner that the Uefa Foundation for Children had invited two refugee children from Gaza, who have been receiving medical treatment in Milan, to be part of the medal ceremony along with the Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin.
It said: “12-year-old Tala is a young Palestinian girl
with fragile health who was transferred to Milan to receive appropriate medical care, as the adequate equipment was lacking in Gaza after the start of the war. “Tala will be joined on the podium by nine-yearold Mohamed, who lost his parents during the war and was severely injured following an air strike. Due to the seriousness of his condition and his young age, Mohamed and his grandmother were fortunate enough to leave Gaza and were welcomed in Milan, where Mohamed is currently undergoing medical treatment.“Nine children who are refugees in Italy — coming from different conflict zones (Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Palestine and Ukraine) will also participate in the opening ceremony, displaying a banner ‘STOP KILLING CHILDREN — STOP KILLING CIVILIANS’ during the teams’ line-up.
King: Friendship is a greater weapon than arms Desk report::
The King will tell the nation that friendship is a greater weapon than arms during a tribute to the wartime heroes of VJ Day.
Eighty years after his grandfather, George VI, addressed Britain to declare that “war has ended throughout the world”, King Charles will echo the moment with his own message of peace. In an audio address to be broadcast on Friday morning, he will vow that the service and sacrifice of those who fought in the war against Japan in the Pacific and Far East for 99 days after Germany surrendered “shall never be forgotten”.
The King will say that together, the servicemen proved that “in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear but the arms you link”.
He will describe how the heroes of VJ Day “gave us more than freedom – they left us the example of how it can and must be protected” by achieving victory through close collaboration “across vast distances, faiths and cultural divides”.
The King has long seen his role as that of the convener, responsible for bringing those of different nations, religions and ideologies together in an effort to prevent conflict. Acting as something of a peacemaker, he has often spoken of the “devastating” effects of war and said lessons must be learnt from history.
‘War extends beyond battlefields’
The King will also use his address to reflect upon the horrors experienced by prisoners of war and innocent civilians in the region’s occupied lands, whose suffering “reminds us that war’s true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life”.
The six-minute message to Britain, the realms and the Commonwealth was recorded earlier this month in the morning room at Clarence House and will be broadcast at 7.30am on Friday.
King Charles will refer to the historic broadcast made by his grandfather, who called upon the public on Aug 15 1945, to ensure that “the peace gained amid measureless trials and suffering shall not be cast away”. George VI also asked the nation to remember “all who have laid down their lives, and all who have endured the loss of those they love”.
He added that it was a “special source of pride” that the
campaign in the Far East had seen men from communities across the Commonwealth and the Empire come together to fight “in brotherhood”.
At dawn on the 80th anniversary, military bagpipers will perform the lament Battle’s O’er at the Cenotaph in London, as well as in the Far East section of Staffordshire’s National Memorial Arboretum and at Edinburgh Castle.
A piper will perform at a Japanese peace garden to reflect the reconciliation that has taken place in the decades since the Second World War.
The King and Queen will lead commemorations at the National Memorial Arboretum later on Friday morning, where some 1,500 guests will hear moving first-hand testimony from VJ veterans. They will be joined by Sir Keir Starmer, members of VJ associations, military personnel and senior politicians for a national service of remembrance, which will be hosted by the Royal British Legion in partnership with the Government and will be broadcast live by the BBC.
The Prime Minister will arrive fresh from talks with Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, at which they discussed a crunch summit between Donald Trump, the US president, and Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, in Alaska on Friday.
Downing Street later said Sir Keir and Mr Zelensky believe there is a “viable” chance of a ceasefire in Ukraine, but added that Putin must “prove he is serious about peace”.
But of all the well-known faces at Friday’s memorial, the guests of honour will be the 30-plus veterans, aged from 96 to 105, who served in the Far East and Pacific. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will attend the service at the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle on Friday, while the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will visit a separate tribute at Norwich Cathedral.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, who are spending the school holidays with their children, will release a personal message on their social media channels on Friday morning to mark the occasion.
The Princess Royal, who will celebrate her 75th birthday on Friday, is sailing around western Scotland in her Rustler 44 yacht. ----------------------------------
Why London Jews fear for their future in the capital
Deask report: Samson is 13 and has had to get used to antisemitic abuse when
After the last page
he leaves his north London Jewish school, but there was one incident a couple of months ago that still scars him. He was walking towards Belsize Park underground and was lagging behind his friends. “Most of my friends had crossed the road but I was on my own when I was targeted by two guys wearing balaclavas. They did a Nazi salute, they spat on the ground and said, ‘dirty Jew’,’’ says Samson.
“Then they grabbed me by my shirt collar and pushed me against a gate and demanded my phone.” The assault only ended when other people approached the attackers. “The whole episode left me feeling quite shaken up,” adds Samson. This wasn’t the first time he’d been attacked on his way home from school — he’d been spat at on the Tube and called names — just the most violent.
Belsize Park, where there is a Jewish school nearby, has become just one of the flare-up areas in London for attacks on Jews. A few months ago, another schoolboy was hospitalised after being attacked in the area. The police are always alerted but little, it seems, is done to protect them.
“Samson was anxious afterwards and didn’t want to go to school,” his mother Lydia says. “He started to have stomach aches from the anxiety; he was afraid that they were going to come after him again. Police say they will monitor the situation but that doesn’t really happen. It almost feels like they’re waiting for something really catastrophic to happen before they take it seriously.”
Schools are just one of the many areas in which antisemitism has spiked since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 heralded the start of a new war with Gaza. The Community Security Trust (CST) which monitors anti-Jewish hatred has labelled school antisemitism a particular growth problem, with 107 reported incidents in the last six months. Jewish parents find themselves in a quandary: send them to a Jewish school where they will be safe in the playground but attacked when they leave (41 of those incidents happened during a daily commute) or send them to a non-religious school and hope they don’t get bullied.
Dozens of London Jewish parents have had to remove their children from schools because of antisemitic bullying. Worst of all? It might come from the children but can be seen to be encouraged by the teachers.
‘I was afraid for my children’ Eve* describes how for her eight-year-old Jewish daughter there was an incident almost every week. In the playground children asked, “Are you Palestine or Israel? You have to choose.” She quickly realised saying Israel was a mistake: “Kids would say things like, ‘I’m going to draw a map of Israel and burn it in your face’.” Eventually Eve removed her children from the school. It is not just the kids. Last month the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers revealed that half of Jewish teachers have experienced antisemitism in recent years, often from pupils. Antisemitism in universities has been well reported on, but it is all over education. Sarah* even found it at her drama workshop. “My teacher was always trying to talk about racism, but after October 7 she started to talk about Zionism and how it was colonialism, racism, all of that. I tried to explain that it was just self-determination for Jewish people. She became very aggressive and told me I was no longer welcome in her class. I had been going for two years.”
London likes to regard itself as a melting pot for communities, but as anyone from any minority knows that is only half the story — that ostensible cohesion can feel like an item of clothing which just needs someone to give a thread a slight pull and it will come apart. London’s Jews, one of its oldest minorities, are now wondering for the first time whether they have a future in the only place they know of as home. The hatred impacts whoever is obviously Jewish. Some try and hide while others have starting sporting a Star of David necklace in defiance. But everyone is scared of this hatred and what it could lead to. Model Caprice Bourret, who lives in west London, says that like many Jews she has taken down her mezuzah — a scroll parchment attached to a door frame to bless a house — because “I was afraid for the safety of my children”. Broadcaster Vanessa Feltz, meanwhile, has described how she was singled out in central London by a man yelling, “Vanessa Feltz, fascist Zionist scum.” She added: “He was chasing me, screaming into a megaphone.”
‘I had to leave London’ Jews have been part of the London fabric for centuries — ever since Oliver Cromwell allowed Jews back in 1656 (they first arrived with William the Conqueror but were thrown out due to antisemitism 200 years later). Many came to escape pogroms in the
Russian empire in the late Victorian period. And there were more recent waves of Jewish immigration here in the run up to the Second World War when Jews escaped the Holocaust and again in 1979 when Iranian Jews fled the Islamic Republic. Things have never been perfect — I must have been six the first time I was called a “dirty Jew” by another child at my school in Northwood — but British Jews have also always known that we were the luckiest in Europe. Because the UK was never invaded by the Nazis, we never had to see whether our neighbours would turn on us.
Antisemitism feels like it has been growing over the past few decades, but everything became turbocharged on October 7 when, even as Hamas terrorists were still killing Israeli families and hunting down Nova festival ravers, there were celebrations on our streets. Since then, there has been a tsunami of Jew hatred.
Some of it has made it into newspapers — the universities, the hatred from bands, cancellation of acts, a recent attack outside a Jewish deli in Marylebone — but most of it goes unremarked upon as it becomes increasingly commonplace. Gemma*, a theatre worker who lived in Islington, had barely even thought about her Jewish ethnicity until October 7. “Islington was my home,” says Gemma, whose husband isn’t Jewish. “I was part of the fabric of this multicultural community and I loved it. But then came October 7 and a day after, I started seeing Palestine flags going up in my neighbour’s windows. The biggest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust and they appeared to be celebrating. It felt like I was in a horror show. “I started to wear a necklace with Hebrew writing on in defiance. One evening I was on the bus when two young women with hijabs stood in front of me. At first, I thought they must have been friends of my stepdaughter but then they pointed to the necklace and spat on me.
“Islington Green is where I got married. In December 2023 our menorah for Chanukah had been desecrated within a day. It made me realise I had to leave Islington. Leave London. Just before we moved, we passed a proPalestine demonstration outside Barclays and this woman started screaming at me so I asked, ‘What about the hostages? The tunnels?’ She screamed at me, ‘You Jewish pig’.” Gemma now lives in Henley.