John Bercow  has warned of the “pernicious and insidious” threat still lurking against Jews.

The Speaker of the House of Commons said: “There are still people denying the Holocaust or alternatively glorying in it and holding up Adolf Hitler as being a great figure in our history.

“So we should not be paranoid but equally we should not be complacent. There is a threat to Jewish people and to Jewish security in this country and indeed in Europe and around the world.

He made the comment to a group of World Jewish Congress (WJC) delegates visiting Parliament on Monday.

Mr Bercow told them: “The importance of Jewish history, of Jewish culture, Jewish identity and indeed of Jewish security both physical and political can scarcely be overstated.

“The work you do is of an importance that cannot be exaggerated. I want you to know you have friends in Parliament here, and you certainly have a friend in this Speaker.”

He praised the WJC’s work in “fighting for the rights of Jews and Jewish communities across the world”.

Among the delegates was WJC president Ronald Lauder. Also present was Jonathan Arkush, the president of the Board of Deputies.

The executive committee of the WJC was in London to hold a week-long summit – the first in the UK capital for two decades.