British Prime Minister Keir Starmer gives a media statement at Downing Street on the government’s response to a stabbing in which two Jewish men were wounded, which police said was a terrorism‑related attack, after a man was arrested in connection with the incident on Wednesday, in London, Britain, April 30, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Jack Taylor

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged leaders from across society on Tuesday to work together to eradicate antisemitism “from every corner,” as he convened a meeting following the stabbing of two Jewish men and a string of other attacks.

The attacks have left Jewish communities fearing for their safety and piled pressure on Starmer to show he can tackle them. The opposition Conservative Party has called antisemitism a “national emergency.”

Moments after Starmer began speaking, counter-terrorism police confirmed they had launched an investigation into an arson attack at a former synagogue in east London. The incident was the latest in a series of arson attacks on Jewish targets since March, most of them in north London, some of which authorities are examining for possible Iranian links.

Starmer told the meeting – which brought together representatives from business, health, culture, higher education, and policing for talks with members of the Jewish community – that investigators were examining whether a foreign state could be behind some of the incidents.

“Our message to Iran or to any other country that might seek to foment violence, hatred, or division in society, is that it will not be tolerated,” Starmer said, adding that the government was fast-tracking legislation to tackle threats.

TERRORISM-RELATED DEATHS ON THE RISE

Starmer, whose wife is Jewish, said last week’s stabbings formed part of a broader pattern of rising antisemitism against Britain’s 290,000 Jews, leaving many feeling frightened and angry.

In response, the government has raised the national terrorism threat level to “severe” and announced an additional 25 million pounds ($34 million) in funding to bolster protection for Jewish communities.

A new 1-million-pound support package was announced to target antisemitism in high-risk areas, with a further 500,000 pounds allocated to the local authority covering the area where the stabbings took place.

Starmer also announced new requirements for universities to publish details of antisemitic incidents on their campuses and the steps being taken to address them.

“Only by working together, we eradicate antisemitism from every corner,” Starmer said.

The Global Terrorism Index has said terrorism-linked deaths fell globally in 2025, but surged 280% in Western countries, largely driven by antisemitism, Islamophobia, and political terrorism.

In Britain, government data published last year showed sharp rises in hate crimes against the Jewish community in the months following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.