By Ben Bloch, political reporter
A Tory frontbencher has defended a heckle during Prime Minister’s Questions that led to uproar in the Commons and a direct rebuke from Sir Keir Starmer.
Labour MP Tulip Siddiq had raised “rising antisemitism on NHS wards”, pointing to a reported example of a Jewish staff member being called a “baby killer” by their colleague, and asked the PM what he is doing to “make sure that my Jewish constituents can safely use our beloved National Health Service”.
Starmer replied that the reports are “deeply concerning”, and said: “It is a fundamental principle that the NHS provides care and treatment for everyone, regardless of race, faith, or background.”
But as the PM was speaking, shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith was heard saying, “but it’s okay in the justice system?”, and amid outrage from the Labour benches, Starmer told him: “You’ve let yourself down.”
After PMQs concluded, Labour MP Alex Barros-Curtis posted on X that Griffith’s comment was “tone deaf” and “snide”, while Callum Anderson MP tweeted that it was “hugely poor”, and Deirdre Costigan MP said she was “really shocked”.
Griffith has told Sky News that he was referring to the controversial new guidelines from the Sentencing Council that advises that a pre-sentence report (PSR) “will normally be considered necessary” before sentencing a criminal from an ethnic, cultural or faith minority, which has led to accusations of two-tier justice (read more on the guidance and the outrage surrounding it here).
He said in a statement that he was “highlighting that [Starmer’s] government must ensure equality before the law to stamp out antisemitism, as opposed to allowing the Sentencing Council to impose guidance that would see perpetrators of antisemitic crimes be shown leniency on the basis of their own race or religion”.
He added: “The PM was absolutely right to criticise the terrible antisemitic incident in the NHS that Tulip Siddiq MP raised.
“It’s extremely concerning to hear that such incidents are on the increase.”