The UK government has announced a security package worth more than £250 million to protect Jewish communities amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents and extremist threats.
The funding will support the deployment of over 500 additional police officers in areas with significant Jewish populations, including 300 officers in London. The package will also pay for increased patrols outside synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres, as well as an expanded network of plainclothes officers tasked with disrupting potential attacks.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer framed the move as both a security measure and a moral obligation. He said the surge in antisemitism was “a test of our values as a country” and insisted that confronting anti-Jewish hatred had been central to his leadership. Officials said the plan was designed in consultation with police, security experts and Jewish community organisations.
The funding is to be spread over three years. Alongside policing, a portion will be directed to education and prevention programmes aimed at tackling antisemitism in schools, universities and online spaces. Ministers argue that long-term safety for Jewish communities depends not only on visible security but also on challenging the conspiracy theories and extremist narratives that fuel hate.
Matt Jukes, Deputy Commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police, said Jewish communities were facing “an exceptional threat” driven by rising hate crime, terrorism and interference from hostile states. He described the new resources as critical to strengthening both protective security and intelligence-led operations.
The announcement follows a series of violent incidents that have shaken Jewish neighbourhoods. In Golders Green, a predominantly Jewish district of north London, two Jewish men were stabbed in what police described as a terrorist attack. That assault came after a cluster of arson and attempted arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites in the capital.
In Manchester, an attack on a synagogue left two people dead, underscoring the lethal potential of antisemitic violence. Community leaders have reported heightened fear, with some families changing routines, avoiding religious dress in public or increasing private security at schools and places of worship.
As part of the package, £59 million will go directly to counter-terrorism policing to harden potential targets, improve rapid response capabilities and enhance monitoring of state-backed threats. Starmer has previously accused Iran of seeking to “harm British Jews”, and security officials have warned of foreign actors amplifying antisemitic rhetoric and funding extremist networks.
