Truss would change ‘woke’ Civil Service culture that ‘strays into antisemitism’

Liz Truss claims she will target “woke” Civil Service culture that “strays into antisemitism” as part of efforts to protect and support the British Jewish community.

The Foreign Secretary has also set her sights on boosting links between the UK and Israel, with a plan to secure a free-trade deal, her campaign said.

In a written statement issued after she spoke at a synagogue in Manchester, Ms Truss insisted the culture in the Civil Service can be “changed”.

She also pledged to review whether schools are doing enough to educate pupils and teachers about antisemitism, according to her team, and said university campuses must be “ridded” of the issue.

Ms Truss said: “Every organisation has its culture, but it’s not fixed, it can be changed.

“That’s what ministerial leadership is about: it’s about making sure that the policies we represent, the values we stand for, are reflected in what we do.”

She added that the relationship between the UK and Israel has “grown in standing” over the past year, but insisted there is “still more to do”, including completing a free-trade deal.

A Truss campaign source claimed that Labour has been a “talking shop for antisemitism and Anti-Zionism” under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer, and formerly Jeremy Corbyn.

“This has increased anxieties within the Jewish community,” they said.