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Warning over far-right surge as poll shows Britons open to ‘strong ruler who breaks rules’

More than half agree while just 23 per cent disagree

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A survey suggesting the Brexit-weary British are increasingly open to an authoritarian government has prompted alarm among Jewish and anti-racism groups.

The Hansard Society, a parliamentary research body, found that trust in politicians was at its lowest ebb since it began auditing political attitudes 16 years ago.

When asked whether “Britain needs a strong ruler willing to break the rules”, 54 per cent of respondents to the survey agreed and only 23 per cent said no.

In addition, 42 per cent agreed with the idea that many national problems could be dealt with more effectively “if the government didn’t have to worry so much about votes in Parliament”.

Board of Deputies Vice President Amanda Bowman said: “There are alarming examples from recent history of what happens when a ‘strongman’ leader is allowed to rule without scrutiny from a parliament, whether on the far-left, or the far-right, with particular implications for Jews and other minorities.

“As history has shown, Parliamentary democracy should not be surrendered in the interests of dealing with national problems more effectively, as the results of unchecked power can be catastrophic.”

Anti-racism advocacy group Hope Not Hate told the Guardian that the suspicion of politicians, if coupled with a post-Brexit economic downturn, would be “fertile ground for a far-right populist surge”.

The survey was based on face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of more than 1,000 people.

Top Jewish judge Sir Terence Etherton has warned about the potential threat to liberal democracy in the UK in the context of the Shoah and indicated what the judiciary could do to fight back against a tyrannical government.

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