Board of Deputies President welcomes the Government’s decision to disengage from the NUS following recent antisemitism allegations

Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl welcomes the announcement by the Higher and Further Education Minister, The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP, that the Government will temporarily disengage with the National Union of Students (NUS) following recent antisemitism allegations.

“We highly commend the Government for taking the unprecedented step of disengaging from the NUS, clearly citing the organisation’s issues relating to antisemitism as the reason for their withdrawal,” she said adding, “The NUS clearly does not represent all students – and particularly not Jewish students.

“We are pleased to know from the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) that NUS are taking an investigation into antisemitism seriously and are committing to work with them. The NUS now has a clear choice. It can continue to engage genuinely and constructively with UJS, as well as the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) like the Government has advised. Or, it can persist in its previous behaviours and by doing so consign itself to complete irrelevance, unable to properly advocate for those it claims to represent.”