Britain’s biggest business organisations have closed ranks against a wave of antisemitism sweeping the country, with 40 trade bodies and employer groups signing a joint letter pledging to root out anti-Jewish prejudice from the nation’s workplaces.
The intervention, co-ordinated by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), lands at a politically charged moment. It coincides with a stark warning from Sir Mark Rowley, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who told MPs in a letter revealed this week that “British Jews are not currently safe in their capital city”, a phrase that has reverberated through Westminster, the City and Britain’s small business community alike.
“We, as leaders from across the UK business community, unreservedly condemn antisemitism in all its forms,” the signatories said in the letter, published by the British Chambers of Commerce. Signatories have agreed to speak up against antisemitism, adopt a zero-tolerance approach to it in the workplace, embed antisemitism within racism and inclusion training, and provide tailored support for Jewish employees.
A rare show of unity fromBbritain’s ‘B5’
The breadth of the coalition is striking. Alongside the BCC and CBI, the letter has been signed by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the Institute of Directors (IoD) and ADS Group, which represents more than 1,700 UK firms in the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors. After three years of public splits between the so-called “B5” business lobby groups, particularly in the wake of the CBI’s 2023 crisis, this is the broadest joint statement the sector has produced on a social policy issue in recent memory.
Shevaun Haviland, director-general of the BCC, said: “The rise in antisemitism is deeply concerning and demands a clear, collective response. This letter is the starting point … by acting together, business can be a powerful force for good.”
Kevin Craven, chief executive of ADS Group, was among those who described antisemitism bluntly as racism and “a daily experience” for Jewish people living and working in Britain.
Tina McKenzie, policy chair at the FSB, and Jonathan Geldart, director-general of the IoD, said they were taking a stand for the “sake of our Jewish colleagues and friends” and for the “health of our society”. Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the CBI, described antisemitism as “abhorrent”, adding: “The breadth of organisations backing this statement reflects the strength of feeling across the business community. Inclusive workplaces are vital for individuals, for businesses and for the success of our economy.”
‘Not currently safe’: Rowley’s warning to MP’s
The corporate intervention follows a sharp deterioration in community safety. Sir Mark Rowley’s letter to MPs on the home affairs select committee referenced “a sustained period of attack” on Jewish Londoners over the past six weeks, including the declaration of a terrorist incident in Golders Green, northwest London, after two men suffered stab wounds just over a fortnight ago. The Met has since launched 11 counter-terrorism investigations and made 35 arrests, while a new 100-strong community protection team has been stood up.
The King met victims of last month’s stabbings the same day Rowley’s warning emerged, a juxtaposition that has sharpened the political pressure on government and on employers to demonstrate visible action rather than mere words.
From boardroom statements to workplace culture
For Business Matters readers, particularly the owner-managers of the UK’s 5.5 million small and medium-sized firms, the practical question is what zero tolerance actually looks like in a payroll of 10, 50 or 250 people. Employment lawyers expect the letter to accelerate three trends already evident in HR departments: the explicit naming of antisemitism within diversity training (rather than its absorption into a generic anti-racism module), the development of complaints procedures sensitive to Jewish identity and religious practice, and tougher action on social media conduct that strays into anti-Jewish stereotypes.
Those shifts dovetail with a wider regulatory direction of travel. Ministers have already used the Employment Rights Bill to ban non-disclosure agreements that silence victims of harassment and discrimination, narrowing the room for employers to settle complaints quietly. Surveys from the sector continue to suggest that British firms are still failing to measure their impact on diversity and inclusion in any meaningful way, a data gap that is likely to come under fresh scrutiny following this week’s declaration.
The letter is part of growing momentum in industry. Peter Kyle, the business secretary, hosted a roundtable on antisemitism with senior business leaders this week. “I’m pleased to see workplaces begin to discuss the action they can take to combat this hatred,” he said. “Businesses have a crucial role to play in facing this challenge head-on.”
A BCC spokesperson described tackling antisemitism in the workplace as a “shared responsibility”, citing concern at the “increased experience” of antisemitism reported by Jewish employees. For owner-managers weighing how to operationalise the pledge, the practical playbook for building diversity, equity and inclusion into SME growth plans offers a useful starting point, but specialists caution that antisemitism, with its distinct history and contemporary tropes, demands its own dedicated lens rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Whether the joint letter marks a genuine inflection point or a familiar cycle of statements followed by drift will be judged by what changes inside the country’s offices, factory floors and shop counters over the coming year. With the Met openly conceding that Britain’s Jewish citizens are not yet safe in their own capital, employers may find that the cost of inaction has rarely been higher.
