BBC
Sir Keir Starmer joined Damian Egan on the campaign trail for the Kingswood by-election in 2024
The decision to delay a Jewish MP’s visit to a school due to planned protests by pro-Palestine activists is “very concerning”, the prime minister says.
Damien Egan was due to visit the Bristol Brunel Academy in his Bristol North East constituency in September, but this was postponed due to a demonstration planned to coincide with the end of the school day.
Cabot Learning Federation (CLF), which runs the school, strongly denied reports the visit was cancelled due to concerns of staff and parents about the MP’s involvement with the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) parliamentary group.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions earlier, Sir Keir Starmer said the case was “very serious, very concerning”.
He added that all MPs “should be able to visit anywhere in their constituency, schools or other places, without fear of antisemitism”.
CLF insisted Egan’s visit was delayed only due to student safeguarding issues, adding that it has already been rescheduled, though it will not be publicly sharing the date.
Sir Keir said the government was “providing more funding for security and support” to schools across the country, adding: “We will be holding those to account who have prevented this visit to this school.”
After Egan’s visit was halted, the Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign hailed it as a “victory for parents, teachers and the community”.
In a Facebook post, the group said it sent “a clear message”, highlighting Egan’s role as vice-chairman of LFI, as well as a recent visit to the country.
Damian Egan is vice-chairman of the Labour Friends of Israel parliamentary group
The Bristol branch of the National Education Union also welcomed the cancellation, saying it was “a win for safeguarding, solidarity and for the power of the NEU trade union staff group, parents and campaigners standing together”.
The incident only became widely known when Communities Secretary Steve Reed mentioned it during an appearance at the Jewish Labour Movement conference on Sunday, describing it as “an absolute outrage”.
Egan himself has yet to comment publicly.
Raising the issue in Parliament on Wednesday, Conservative MP Lincoln Jopp said Egan had been barred from visiting the school “because he is Jewish” and described the incident as “antisemitism… happening in plain sight”.
‘Followed police advice’
A CLF spokesman said: “On the evening before Mr Egan’s scheduled visit, we were made aware of plans for a public protest outside the school.
“As this protest was scheduled to coincide with the end in the school day, we opted to postpone Mr Egan’s visit to ensure everyone would continue to feel safe when entering and exiting school and to prevent any disruption to our students’ learning.”
They added: “We have remained in contact with Mr Egan throughout, and he agreed a new date for the visit some time ago. We have also been in contact with the police and followed their advice.”