Keir Starmer ‘doesn’t know what to do’ slams Kemi Badenoch as she demands ‘hate marches’ ban

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said Sir Keir Starmer “doesn’t know what to do” as she called for a ban on pro-Palestine marches.

Speaking at a hairdresser's in South East London, the Conservative leader argued that the demonstrations serve as a pretext for threatening and attacking Jewish people.

“It’s time to ban the marches,” she declared, adding: "It's clear they are used as a cover for promoting violence and intimidation against Jews."

Her intervention follows Wednesday's stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, which has prompted authorities to raise the UK terrorism threat level to “severe”.

The independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall, has separately called for a "moratorium" on such protests.

He described recent attacks on Jews as a "massive national security emergency".

Mrs Badenoch endorsed Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley's assessment that London faces an "epidemic" of antisemitism and that British Jews confront their greatest ever threat.

“British Jews under siege," the Leader of the Opposition said. "The Prime Minister doesn't seem to know what to do about it.

“We can ban hate preachers from this country, remove visas from those who are not British and spreading antisemitism, but we need to do more."

She insisted: “We need to shame people who think antisemitism is acceptable.”

Her comments came as Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirivis also attributed “a tone of antisemitism” in Britain to what he termed "hate marches” combined with "purposeful anti-Israel demonisation".

Addressing the nation in the wake of the Golders Green attack, the Prime Minister maintained the importance of freedom of speech but suggested that some demonstrations could be prohibited.

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Sir Keir expressed concern about the “cumulative” effect of repeated marches on Jewish communities.

He also called on protesters to challenge those chanting “globalise the intifada” and hoisting offensive banners.

Hours before his address, the Prime Minister was booed and jeered by protestors during a visit to Golders Green.

His motorcade was met with chants of “shame on you” and “Jew harmer” as it sped past demonstrators.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who also visited Golders Green on Thursday, accused ministers of being "weak, weak, weak on all of this".

He claimed that hatred had become "embedded" in the country.