Britain’s biggest business organisations have closed ranks against a wave of antisemitism sweeping the country, with 40 trade bodies and employer groups signing a joint letter pledging to root out anti-Jewish prejudice from the nation’s workplaces.
The intervention, co-ordinated by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), lands at a politically charged moment. It coincides with a stark warning from Sir Mark Rowley, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who told MPs in a letter revealed this week that “British Jews are not currently safe in their capital city”, a phrase that has reverberated through Westminster, the City and Britain’s small business community alike.
“We, as leaders from across the UK business community, unreservedly condemn antisemitism in all its forms,” the signatories said in the letter, published by the British Chambers of Commerce. Signatories have agreed to speak up against antisemitism, adopt a zero-tolerance approach to it in the workplace, embed antisemitism within racism and inclusion training, and provide tailored support for Jewish employees.
A rare show of unity fromBbritain’s ‘B5’
The breadth of the coalition is striking. Alongside the BCC and CBI, the letter has been signed by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the Institute of Directors (IoD) and ADS Group, which represents more than 1,700 UK firms in the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors. After three years of public splits between the so-called “B5” business lobby groups, particularly in the wake of the CBI’s 2023 crisis, this is the broadest joint statement the sector has produced on a social policy issue in recent memory.
Shevaun Haviland, director-general of the BCC, said: “The rise in antisemitism is deeply concerning and demands a clear, collective response. This letter is the starting point … by acting together, business can be a powerful force for good.”
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