Kemi Badenoch offers to 'help' Keir Starmer proscribe the IRGC after 'absolutely disgusting' antisemitic arson attack

Reacting to the attack, which targeted four Jewish community ambulances on Monday morning, Mrs Badenoch said that people are "terrified" about what is to come next.

She told GB News: "I was absolutely disgusted to hear about those attacks. This visit was actually planned quite a while ago, so it's been completely overshadowed by what happened yesterday in Golders Green.

"I'm in the Stamford Hill, and the community here is terrified, lots of people are worried about what's coming next."

Stressing that this is another in a "series of attacks" on the Jewish community and their businesses, Mrs Badenoch stated: "This is just the latest in a series of attacks on Jewish people, Jewish businesses.

"If it's not ambulances being set on fire, Gail's bakeries of all things are being targeted, and let's not even begin with thinking about what happened in Heaton Park in Manchester."

Questioned on whether we are witnessing a "rise in antisemitism" in Britain, Mrs Badenoch argued that antisemitism was "already there" for a long time.

She said: "It's sad, but to be frank, I think that antisemitism was already there. We've been seeing a rise, but on the day after October 7, there were lots of people in the streets celebrating. I think that showed that there was already a lot of antisemitism.

"Those marches were then supposed to be about protest against the war, but really they were used as a cover to intimidate Jewish people."

Calling on the Labour Government to "toughen up our immigration policy", the Tory leader told GB News that there is an "increase of people coming from to the UK countries where there is a culture of antisemitism".

She explained: "In this country specifically, we are also seeing an increase of people coming from countries where there is a culture of antisemitism, hatred against Jews, people with that particular historical culture are an increasing number here.

"So this is why I said we need to toughen our immigration policy. It's not enough that people come here to work, they need to be able to abide by our norms and our values."

She made clear: "And if they can't, they should be sent back. We need to start cracking down on the sources of the antisemitism, not just the symptoms.

"It's not just enough to say, let's have more security guards and a bit more money, let's tackle the root of it."

Throwing her support behind calls to proscribe the IRGC, Mrs Badenoch told GB News she has written to the Prime Minister to offer "help and votes" to get the ban pushed through.

She said: "I am here right now, standing with the Jewish community, what they want to know is what we're going to do now.

"And what I said to Keir Starmer is that if he's ready to do this, we will help him, we will offer votes.

"The National Security Act is also there, which helps with organisations like the IRGC. Let's talk about what we can do.

"I've actually offered and I've written to Keir Starmer and said let's do this."

Quizzing the Tory leader for her verdict on London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan's absence from Golders Green following the attack, Mrs Badenoch concluded that it is "about time" he paid the community a visit.

She said: "He is the Mayor. I know lots of other politicians from all parties were there yesterday, I was in Norfolk, but the Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp and the Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel were there.

"We've got a strong team, we've been very consistent in our support for the Jewish community, so I do think it's about time the Mayor turned up as well."