UK Unveils £250 Million Package To Protect Jewish Communities Amid Rising Anti-Semitism

Britain will spend over £250 million across the next three years to better protect its Jewish communities, the government said on Monday, following a series of recent antisemitic attacks and a rise in hate crimes.

The funding will deliver over 500 additional officers across England and Wales, boosting security in Jewish neighbourhoods and around schools, synagogues and community centres, the government said, as per a Reuters report. The new package, which is on top of a £25 million funding announced following the stabbings in April, includes around 300 additional officers in London and around 80 in Greater Manchester, where a synagogue was attacked last year, alongside £43 million for forces serving other areas with significant Jewish populations.

London's Metropolitan Police is due to receive £86 million from the new funding, while £59 million was earmarked for counter-terrorism policing. Police will increase patrols at times of heightened vulnerability, offering visible reassurance and helping to deter hate crime and antisemitic incidents, the government said.

Rising Antisemitism And Hate Crime Statistics

The announcement comes amid a rise in antisemitism across the United Kingdom. There has been a string of attacks on Jewish-linked sites in the capital, including the torching of four Jewish community ambulances in March. In April, Britain raised its national terrorism threat level to "severe" from "substantial" in response to an antisemitic stabbing attack in north London.

According to Home Office statistics on hate crime for England and Wales for the year ending March 2025, there were 115,990 hate crimes recorded by police (excluding the Metropolitan Police Service), a 2 per cent increase compared with the previous year. There was a 6 per cent increase in race hate crimes and a 3 per cent increase in religious hate crimes. Within religious hate crimes, there was a 19 per cent increase in hate crimes targeted at Muslims, while hate crimes targeted at Jewish people fell by 18 per cent over the same period.

Data from the 2021 Census showed that the Jewish population in England and Wales was approximately 271,000 people, or 0.5 per cent of the total population. The area with the highest proportion of people describing themselves as Jewish was Hertsmere (17.0 per cent), followed by Barnet (14.5 per cent).

Government's Approach To Tackling Antisemitism

The UK government has outlined a three-pronged approach to tackling antisemitism, as detailed in a voluntary report to the OSCE: protecting communities, enforcing the law, and addressing root causes.

"The safety of Jewish communities is a core responsibility of the state. The UK has committed record levels of funding for protective security at Jewish schools, synagogues and community sites," the report said. "Our objective is that British Jews are not only safe, but feel safe."

The government said it is strengthening powers to prevent extremist actors from spreading hatred — by restricting entry to the UK, tackling harmful online content, and addressing malign foreign state activity. Institutions such as universities and public bodies are being held to account to act decisively against antisemitism.

On prevention, the government is addressing the drivers of antisemitism across society through targeted work in schools, universities and public institutions, backed by dedicated funding for education and awareness. Holocaust education remains central to ensuring future generations understand the consequences of hatred.

"The rise in antisemitism we have seen in recent years is a test of our values as a country and tackling it has been central to my leadership from day one," outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in Monday's statement.

The UK was the first country to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and supports the Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism. Earlier this year, the Foreign Secretary announced the appointment of Jon Pearce MP as the UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues.