As I hope many of you know, it is a real source of pride to me to represent one of the largest Jewish communities in the country. On a personal level, I have had the pleasure of making many great friends and I continue to attend a variety of events, including Mitzvah days, Friday night dinners and Menorah lighting, as well as visiting a number of synagogues around the constituency.

And I have always been a strong voice in standing up for the community, both locally and nationally. I continue to stand firm against the scourge of antisemitism, which I know is of grave concern for many of my constituents. In my time as the local Member of Parliament, I have made key achievements in this respect, including successfully lobbying ministers to fully ban Hezbollah and Hamas and making key progress in my campaign to ban public bodies from imposing divisive Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns against foreign countries, which invariably target the state of Israel.

More recently, I have pledged to bring forward the BDS and Sanctions Bill and the Holocaust Memorial Bill. The BDS and Sanctions Bill is an important piece of legislation which was a priority for me to get into the Conservative manifesto in the first place. This proposed Bill would ban BDS to prevent further boycotts against Israel. The Holocaust and Memorial Bill will aim to update Victorian legislation and progress the building of a new Memorial and learning centre in Victoria Tower Gardens in Westminster.

It was also a pleasure to recently speak at a Jewish Leadership Council event in Parliament last month where I reaffirmed the Prime Minister’s and my commitment to the Jewish community.

I understand the strength of feeling of the continued threats facing the Jewish community both in Hertsmere, and nationally. I will of course continue to engage closely with Jewish leaders and remain a staunch friend and ally of the community.

(Credit JLC) Photograph of The Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP at Jewish Leadership Council event in Parliament.