Cultural Institutions: Antisemitism
Thursday, 12 November 2026
Contributions
Rebecca Smith (South West Devon) (Con)Conservative
11. What steps she is taking to help tackle antisemitism in cultural institutions.
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)Labour
When I was appointed as Culture Secretary two and a half years ago, I was horrified to receive a letter from a Member of this House concerning the case of her constituent who had had his film pulled from a prominent arts venue simply because he was Jewish. In response to that, we set up a group convened jointly by Lord John Mann and Phil Rosenberg of the Board of Deputies to look at that issue. It is an ongoing problem. We have taken a number of steps, including asking Arts Council England to conduct an independent audit of how it handles antisemitism, and we have increased the amount of funding that we provide to Jewish organisations, including for security costs, because safety and security can never become an excuse for tolerating antisemitism and allowing Jewish people to be silenced.
A growing number of Jewish employees at the BBC report that they face anti-Jewish racism at work, and revelations about the BBC’s appalling treatment of Jewish Oscar-winning producer Lucie Kon show that there has been a failure to deal with antisemitism at the heart of the corporation. Does the Secretary of State agree that an independent inquiry into antisemitism within the BBC is urgently needed?
The hon. Lady mentions the case of Lucie Kon, which I have discussed directly with the director general of the BBC. I will also meet Lucie in the coming weeks to discuss the matter directly with her. The BBC has done an enormous amount of work on the issue with the Board of Deputies and other Jewish organisations, but I firmly recognise that there is more to be done. We want the BBC to be an exemplar of how the Jewish community is treated in this country. I say this too: this Government do not believe that antisemitism is just a problem for Jewish people to solve. It is a test of the society that we are seeking to build together and we all have to step up and be counted.
Source: UK Parliament Hansard API. Debate ID: 5436637.