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www.jewishnews.co.uk
Jewish News 25 May 2017
News / General Election 2017: Who will win in Hendon?
Knock, knock, knocki MIKE KATZ LABOUR AND MATTHEW OFFORD CONSERVATIVE by Sandy Rashty @SandyRashty
Lined up for a photo opportunity outside a kosher hotspot in Golders Green, a suited Mike Katz – Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Hendon – was all smiles. Beside him stood Jeremy Newmark, the party’s candidate for Finchley and Golders Green. Together the men, recognised for their respective roles as vice chair and chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, are calling on the community to vote them into Parliament ahead of the General Election next month. But it has not been easy. Given Labour’s poor record on tackling anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activism within its own ranks under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, both candidates have been accused of treachery and putting personal ambition before their community. “I cannot say I have not had those conversations,” admits Katz, 45. Over black coffee and chocolate rice cakes at a university campus in Hendon, the West London Synagogue member says: “It is a shame when the Jewish community feels the need to criticise people for being ambitious. “Both Jeremy and I get so much unpleasantness on social media from anti-Semites; so the idea that we go through that level of attack and then our community turns on us and tells us we are ‘traitors’ is hurtful, but it does not smash my resolve.” Still, standing in the second-largest Jewish constituency in the UK (where around 17 percent of residents are Jewish), Katz needs
to appeal to the community to get elected. “I cannot pretend it has been an easy relationship between the Labour Party and the Jewish community over the past year,” he continues. “But I think at its heart, Labour values are still Jewish values. Values of tolerance, social justice, equality, standing up for the underdog and making sure you do not do well on the backs of others.” And the state school-educated father-of-two – who read philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University before finally pursuing a career in the transport sector – believes he is best placed to bridge relations. “How much greater a voice for this struggle would I be, if I was an MP? If I saw the party not taking action on anti-Semitism, I would call them out.” While most candidates compete for their leader’s presence on the campaign trail, the further away Corbyn stays from Hendon, the better for Katz – who admits that are no plans for the party leader, a supporter of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, to visit the constituency. “I make no secret of the fact that I did not vote for Jeremy Corbyn in the leadership election… he comes from more of a ‘left’ background.” In fact, to Katz’s recollection, they have never had a meeting: “He is not the only person to engage with in terms of things you want to change.” A Tottenham Hotspur fan, Katz puts forward a football analogy: “Managers will come and go, but I will always be a Spurs fan. The leadership can alter, but the inherent
Mike Katz in the campaign trail, right, alongside London Assembly member Andrew Dismore
Matthew Offord, pictured third from the right, canvasses for votes with supporters in Hendon
faith schools – which was granted. values that keep you focused do not change.” Offord goes onto dismiss Labour’s pledge to Regarding the Labour manifesto pledge to scrap university tuition fees; fees he voted to “immediately recognise the state of Palestine” increase to £9,000. – irrespective on initial conditions being met – “It is only fair that you invest in your Katz simply says: “I back a two-state solution and oppose BDS [boycott, divestment and sanc- own future,” he says, noting that any bid to increase corporation tax to supplement tions movement]”. tuition fees would “mean that a lot of compaStraightening his red tie on a canvassing nies will decide to go overseas; they won’t trail in Mill Hill, Katz distributes leaflets with invest and the tax-take will reduce”. Andrew Dismore, who sat as Labour MP for Above all, Offord is Hendon from 1997 until committed to a hard 2010, before losing his seat Brexit, despite more than to Tory Matthew Offord. 62 percent of Barnet Remainer Katz believes residents voting Remain. his commitment to a As well as increasing free “decent Brexit”, combined trade, he believes it will with the party’s commitenhance bilateral ties with ment to increasing the Israeli businesses. number of police officers Understandably, and scrapping university Offord, a Conservatuition fees, could give him tive Friends of Israel the edge. Officer, is confident when Offord, however, questioned on his party’s disagrees. The Tory’s record on tackling antiparliamentary candidate Semitism and promoting for Hendon, who sat as relations between the its MP from 2010 to 2017, UK and Israel. After all, believes Labour manifesto there has been an increase pledges are little more in Holocaust education than an “empty promise”. Matthew Offord with Liz Truss funding and a boom in A canvassing session UK-Israel trade. cancelled over unexpected He dismisses concern over the Conservative rain, we settle for a phone interview. Speaking manifesto’s failure to directly address antion the day Prime Minister Theresa May Semitism or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. launched the Conservative manifesto, Offord He explains: “It has always been clear that says: “I am not convinced that Labour would we won’t tolerate anti-Semitism or any form be able to put 10,000 more police officers on of racism. [But] Jeremy Corbyn has stood back the street. I think a lot of their manifesto is an empty promise. How would it be funded? There and allowed it to happen; and so is complicit by not acting quickly enough, or at all.” is no such thing as a ‘money tree’.” An animal welfare campaigner, Offord is And Offord, 47, does not believe that the cuts quick to insist that the Tory manifesto pledge to police forces have faced under his government install CCTV in all slaughterhouses across the has impacted security across the capital. He UK does not indicate a crackdown on religious notes that his party has supported the Commuslaughter. Noting that schechita would be nity Security Trust and, moreover, that his first protected under his government, he adds: “Our question in Parliament called on the governposition has not changed at all. I think leaving ment to pay additional security costs at Jewish