Government adviser sacked after ‘unacceptable’ claim of ‘Soros empire’
The housing commission chair was appointed last year, despite calls for his dismissal
A government adviser, who was knighted in 2016, has been sacked after referring to a “Soros empire” in Hungary and defending Viktor Orbán against allegations of antisemitism.
Speaking to the New Statesman’s George Eton, Sir Roger Scruton, 75, said: “Anybody who doesn’t think that there’s a Soros empire in Hungary has not observed the facts.”
Scruton, who was chair of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission, also dismissed allegations of antisemitism levelled against Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán as “nonsense.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Professor Sir Roger Scruton has been dismissed as chairman of the Building Better Building Beautiful Commission with immediate effect, following his unacceptable comments.
“A new chair will be appointed by the Secretary of State, to take this important work forward, in due course.”
A Board of Deputies spokesperson said: “As soon as we saw Sir Roger Scruton’s unacceptable comments we contacted Government to make our concerns heard.
“We are satisfied that the right decision has been made to dismiss him.”
The interview immediately received criticism on social media, causing the hashtag “Roger Scruton” to trend on Twitter in the UK.
Former Chancellor George Osborne tweeted: “Yesterday, leading Conservatives rightly ask what they can do to reconnect to modern Britain.
“Today, these bigoted remarks from the man they bizarrely appointed to advise them on housing.”
The former housing commission chair was appointed last year, despite calls for his dismissal from Labour MPs on account of past remarks.
Wes Streeting tweeted at the time: “It gets worse and worse [James Brokenshire] must surely now realise that he has made a terrible error of judgement in appointing Roger Scruton to a government post.
“He must dismiss him immediately.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
