British Jews prefer no-deal Brexit over Corbyn-led government - survey

In a survey ahead of the Brexit referendum in 2016, half of British Jews were in favor of remaining in the EU, while only slightly over a third said they supported Brexit.

OCTOBER 26, 2019 17:42

BRITAIN’S OPPOSITION Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in London yesterday. (photo credit: HENRY NICHOLLS/REUTERS) — BRITAIN’S OPPOSITION Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in London yesterday.

(photo credit: HENRY NICHOLLS/REUTERS)

The vast majority of British Jews would be more willing to crash out of the European Union without a deal than to see Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in power, a survey commissioned by the Jewish Chronicle of London has revealed.

The JC reported on Thursday that when respondents were asked to choose between a no-deal Brexit scenario and a Corbyn-led government, 78% of them chose the first option, and only 12% the second.

Moreover, only 7% of those polled by the research agency Survation on behalf of the paper said that they would consider voting for Labour at the next general elections.

The study found, however, that if the party was to select a different leader, 42% of the respondents said that they could support it.

More than 750 people over 18 who identify themselves as Jewish were consulted by the firm between September 19 and October 14.

"I'm afraid this poll reflects what I hear on the doorstep in my own community, but seeing it so starkly presented is devastating – not least for significant numbers of Jews who clearly want to vote Labour but can't because of Jeremy Corbyn," Labour MP Wes Streeting told the JC.

"Given our very public failure to tackle antisemitism within our ranks, who can blame them?" he added.

Since Corbyn's election as Labour's head in 2015, the party has faced multiple scandals related to his personal opinions and actions – which have included calling Hamas and Hezbollah "friends" and stating that "British Zionists" lack of sense of humor – but also to antisemitic and extremist views rooted in the party.

Earlier this year, the British equality watchdog Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) opened a formal investigation into the party.

Several Labour politicians have since resigned from the party.

"This poll shows the shameful extent to which the Jewish community – which traditionally showed strong support for Labour – has been alienated by the racism which has poisoned the party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership," MP Ian Austin, who is among those who quit, told the Chronicle.

In a survey commissioned by the JC ahead of the 2016 Brexit referendum, half of British Jews were in favor of remaining in the EU (49%), while only slightly over a third said they supported Brexit.

On Thursday, just a week before Britain was due to exit the EU, Conservative British Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted that he would not meet his "do or die" deadline to leave the EU on October 31 and demanded a December 12 election to end what he cast as the "nightmare" of the Brexit crisis.

Johnson said in a letter to Corbyn that he would give parliament more time to approve his Brexit deal, but lawmakers must back a December election.

This move marks Johnson's third attempt to try to force a snap vote.

UK lawmakers are going to vote on the snap elections on Monday.

Reuters contributed to this report.