Home Office Minister Dan Jarvis has refused to confirm Labour’s commitment to proscribing the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps).
Speaking to the People’s Channel following the terror attack in Golders Green on Wednesday, Mr Jarvis praised the Government’s £25million pledge to protect Britain’s Jewish community.
He told GB News: “I’m pleased to be able to confirm to your viewers this morning that the Government has brought forward £25million of new investment, that takes it to £58million, the amount of money that we’ve invested in supporting our Jewish community in this year alone.
“That is a record level of funding, so we do take these concerns incredibly seriously.”
As Mr Jarvis assured the Labour Government will “do whatever is required to counter that threat”, and “stands in solidarity with Jewish communities”, host Stephen Dixon pushed back on the remark.
He interjected: “But you don’t? That’s the exact point Lord Walney has made. He says you don’t do whatever it takes, because there are measures in place, in relation to marches in particular, that they wanted to get through and ministers would not, which I presume is meaning you?”
The Labour MP responded: “The legislation that you’re referring to just this week has received royal assent, which will give the police important new powers in this particular area.
“I’m also able to confirm this morning that the Government will fast-track important new legislation, which will give us a state proscription tool.”
Dan Jarvis is grilled by host Ellie Costello after defending Labour’s £25million pledge to protect the Jewish community
|
GB NEWS
Mr Jarvis made clear that the Government “does need to do more” to ensure the safety of the Jewish community: “There is a lot of work that is going on, but yes, we do need to do more and we need to provide that reassurance to Jewish communities.
“An attack on Jews in our country is an attack on us all, so there is a lot of work that’s taking place. There’s new money and new laws that we’ve been able to announce just today, but where we do need to act and do more, then of course we will.”
Questioning the new legislation, Stephen asked whether the Labour Government will “proscribe the IRGC” once this new state proscription tool is in place.
Mr Jarvis said: “I hope you’ll understand that there is a very long standing policy of not specifically committing to proscribe any particular organisation, because that undermines the potential operational value of work that our police and our intelligence services are doing.
“But the new tool that I’m talking about will give us that capability to proscribe state-backed entities such as the IRGC, which currently we don’t have, so that’s a big commitment from the Government this morning.”
Protesters were heard chanting ‘Keir Starmer, Jew-harmer’ and ‘shame on Sadiq Khan’ following the attack
|
REUTERSPushing back on Mr Jarvis’s dismissal of his question, host Ellie Costello stressed the “frustration” felt by the Jewish community for Labour’s delay in proscribing the group.
She said: “This is where the frustration comes from in the Jewish community, that action is not happening fast enough. This is something that the Government could do, they could have emergency legislation to proscribe the IRGC, and you’re choosing not to do so.
“This is something that could be done. We’re an outlier in the West that we haven’t yet proscribed the IRGC.”
Mr Jarvis told GB News: “I’m describing to you that we are going to fast track that legislation, so that is an absolute priority for the Government. We will fast track that legislation through Parliament as quickly as possible.
Mr Jarvis told GB News that the Government ‘stands in solidarity’ with the Jewish community
|
GB NEWS
“That is a really important new tool in our toolkit, but it sits alongside a range of other things, including the additional investment that we’ve put in the police.”
Condemning the Golders Green attack, Mr Jarvis reiterated the Government’s “solidarity” with the Jewish community.
He concluded: “I completely understand the concerns that being expressed by the Jewish community, and we are acting with new investment record levels of investment now to protect our Jewish communities here in the UK.
“And now the confirmation of new legislation that we will fast track through Parliament, so there’s a lot of work that we’re doing. Yes, we will need to do more, but we stand in solidarity with those communities who right now are feeling threatened.”