British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers the keynote speech at a Labour conference in Liverpool, Sept. 26, 2016. Photo: Reuters / Phil Noble.

Twenty-four top British writers, actors, activists, businesspeople, tech entrepreneurs and others have signed an open letter urging voters to not back the Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour party in next month’s parliamentary elections due to the antisemitism scandals it has been plagued by in recent years.

The letter laments that British Jews now fear “the prospect of a prime minister steeped in association with antisemitism” and asserts “opposition to racism cannot include surrender in the fight against antisemitism.”

Published in The Guardian, the letter is signed by, among others, bestselling espionage writers John Le Carré and Frederick Forsyth; actor Tom Holland, who stars as Spider-Man in the Marvel films; noted historian Antony Beevor; reformist Muslim activist and radio personality Maajid Nawaz; Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia; and actors Joanna Lumley and Simon Callow.

All the signatories are non-Jews.

The letter points out, “Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, Labour has come under formal investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission for institutional racism against Jews. Two Jewish MPs have been bullied out of the party. Mr Corbyn has a long record of embracing antisemites as comrades.”

“We listen to our Jewish friends and see how their pain has been relegated as an issue, pushed aside by arguments about Britain’s European future,” the letter continues. “But antisemitism is central to a wider debate about the kind of country we want to be.”

“The path to a more tolerant society must encompass Britain’s Jews with unwavering solidarity,” the letter declared. “We endorse no party. However, we cannot in all conscience urge others to support a political party we ourselves will not. We refuse to vote Labour on 12 December.”