Maureen Lipman has identified a professional positive to going grey. "Now I'll be able to play Theresa May," she told 200 guests at Leeds UJIA's women's appeal lunch, before launching into a wicked impersonation of the new PM.

As for Mrs May's new cabinet, "it is beyond my comprehension that Boris [Johnson] got the Foreign Office," Ms Lipman said. "You create havoc and you get rewarded with a top job."

In a long career, the actress had never encountered antisemitism until portraying Joyce Grenfell in her one-woman show, Re:Joyce! Audiences loved Grenfell but not necessarily her, so "they came with a little bit of scepticism".

She received many letters along the lines of "keep your hands off Joyce, she was English". Although she adored Grenfell's work, Ms Lipman said the comedienne was capable of the "casual antisemitism of the upper class".

Ms Lipman was scathing about Jews who constantly criticised Israel, saying: "If it's in your blood that you feel you have to knock Israel every time you speak, then just shut up, because there's enough people doing that already."

She added that you could take the girl out of Hull but not Hull out of the girl.

"By gosh, coming from this part of the world certainly gives you gumption," she said.

Appeals for funding were made by UJIA's Alexa Harris and the Israel embassy's Matt Keston.

The lunch, held at Etz Chaim Synagogue, raised £20,000.