Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Con)

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Mendelsohn, for bringing forward this amendment and for highlighting the real, continuing and concerning issue of antisemitism, particularly at present—a point just made by the noble Baroness, Lady Ramsey. I also thank my noble friend Lord Polak for his powerful speech in support of the amendment. We on these Benches recognise that tackling antisemitism in all its forms is of the utmost, pressing importance. We all agree that it is a pernicious form of hatred that has no place in our society, and that it is essential that the criminal justice system responds robustly and effectively when such offences occur. While I fully agree with and support the objective behind this amendment, I have some reservations about the approach it proposes. The creation of a dedicated unit within the CPS, focused on a single form of hate crime, runs the risk of fragmenting what must remain a coherent and consistent approach to the prosecution of all hate offences. It is notable that CPS already has established mechanisms for dealing with hate crime that bring together expertise across a range of protected characteristics. It has a framework that allows for consistency in decision-making, the sharing of best practice and a co-ordinated response to different, but often overlapping, forms of hostility. Creating a unit dedicated to one specific group, however well-intentioned, raises questions about parity across the system. There will be other communities facing serious and sustained forms of hatred that may reasonably ask why similar structures are not being created for them. For those reasons, while I strongly support the continued efforts to combat antisemitism, I remain to be persuaded that this amendment represents the right way to achieve that.