Antisemitism in the UK: Government Response to the Committee's Tenth Report of Session 2016–17

This is the government's response, published 12 December 2016.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government's response, which says the report's recommendations are mainly addressed to political parties, addresses those aimed at government, stating that it has agreed to adopt the IHRA working definition of anti-Semitism and leaving changes to the Crime Survey of England and Wales to the Office for National Statistics.

• On the definition, the government "has agreed to adopt" the IHRA working definition, and believes its wording on criticism of Israel is "sufficient to ensure freedom of speech".
• The Crown Prosecution Service "will consider" the words 'Zionist' or 'Zio' for inclusion in its current guidance for prosecutors, with consideration given to "all the facts and the specific circumstances of its use".
• On the Crime Survey of England and Wales, the government states that "Decisions on changes to CSEW are for the ONS to consider". On Community Security Trust funding, it says it is "currently too early to confirm specific spending for the next financial year".
• On campuses, the government "agrees with the Select Committee's criticism" of the National Union of Students, and has asked Universities UK to survey the sector six months after publication of its taskforce report to assess progress.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error