Rory Stewart makes communal meeting his last amid virus pandemic
Independent mayoral candidate spoke to small audience at JW3 but - refused to spend more than 10 minutes in an indoor meeting room - eventually taking the conversation outside
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
Politician Rory Stewart, campaigning hard as an independent candidate for Mayor of London, has made a London Jewish Forum encounter his last public meeting as the implications of the coronavirus pandemic took hold.
Speaking to a small audience at JW3, the former government minister, accompanied by his wife Shoshana, refused to spend more than 10 minutes in an indoor meeting room — even though doors and windows were opened — and asked those who wanted to continue the conversation to move outside into the cold March sunshine.
Mr Stewart, the former MP for Penrith and prisons minister, said the way Britain — and London — dealt with the virus “will completely redefine our lives”. He could guarantee, he said, “that in two weeks’ time we will be talking about nothing else”, but nevertheless identified other issues which would drive the London mayoralty forward.
One such issue was Brexit and how it was enacted; but Mr Stewart spoke specifically about public health, street safety, transport, and affordable housing. He repeatedly attacked the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, for his failure in each of these areas, accusing him of taking poor or no decisions in many instances. In the area of public health, Mr Stewart said, “all major gatherings should be banned, and particularly the forthcoming St Patrick’s Day parade should be cancelled”.
He made a number of pledges — including tripling the police presence on London streets and halving the number of rough sleepers in the capital. He also said he would do his best to co-ordinate roadworks so that streets were not endlessly dug up and repaired by different utility companies, observing that the mayors of other world cities had this under control. As an admirer of JW3 and what it has to offer, Mr Stewart said he would like “a mini-JW3 in every ward in London”, providing cultural facilities and a local community centre all over the city.
Mr Stewart acknowledged, in answer to a Jewish News question, that Sadiq Khan was one of the few Labour politicians with whom the Jewish community felt comfortable. “I think you’re right: I have many criticisms of the mayor, but that is not one of my criticisms. I criticise him because he has an £18 billion budget and he doesn’t do anything. So for the Jewish community, and for any other community, the first thing I would offer is safety. He can talk as nicely as he likes, but he is in charge of the Metropolitan Police and the fact is that 100 police stations have been closed, we’ve gone from having six police offers per ward to only two or three, and often only one in practice — that must be restored and crime must be brought down. I also think he is being extremely irresponsible over the coronavirus. I don’t criticise him for his values, I criticise him for not getting on and doing things”.
If elected, Mr Stewart said, he would be “delighted” to lead a business delegation to Israel. He told Jewish News that he was “emotionally connected” to the Jewish community and revealed that he was in favour of a crowd-funded transport link between the two major Jewish hubs of Stamford Hill and Golders Green.
And, though he demurred at picking a winner for Labour leader, Mr Stewart surprised some with his assessment that the likely front-runner, Sir Keir Starmer, was “a little boring”.
The breakfast briefing took place under the auspices of London Jewish Forum, the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Leadership Council and JW3. Jewish News was the event’s media sponsor.
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.
