Oliver Dowden and Lucy Frazer given ministerial positions
Borehamwood MP and Jewish parliamentarian get ministerial roles in Theresa May's reshuffle
Two Jewish MPs has become junior ministers in Theresa May’s cabinet reshuffle while an MP with a large Jewish constituency has also been promoted.
In her first ministerial role, MP for South East Cambridgeshire Lucy Frazer became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice.
Another former barrister, Michael Ellis, the MP for Northampton North who was previously deputy leader of the House of Commons, has been made Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Meanwhile David Cameron’s former deputy chief of staff, Oliver Dowden, the MP for Hertsmere, was made Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office.
Leeds-born Frazer, 45, was elected to Parliament in 2015, after an astronomical career in law, where she became a QC at a young age, entering the profession after a youth in which she was a member of BBYO.
Ellis, who was a barrister for 17 years before entering Parliament in 2010, acted as Parliamentary Assistant to Lord Feldman, former Tory Party chair, under David Cameron’s government.
In a 2012 debate on Israel, Ellis said: “The hatred that is often displayed toward Israel is often a veneer for anti-Semitism, which is not only still very strong but actually getting stronger. I don’t think people are fair about Israel.”
Dowden has also been vocal in his support for the Jewish community, most recently pressing Home Secretary Amber Rudd on protesters flying the flag of the political wing of Hezbollah during the al-Quds Day march in London.
In the Commons, he said this was “provocative, incites extremism and is deeply offensive to our Jewish community”.
Both Frazer and Dowden have been described as “rising stars” and neither has ever rebelled against major Government legislation, although Frazer has voted to let terminally ill people end their lives, a position at odds with most Tory colleagues.
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.
