‘Another sickening antisemitic attack’: Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp visits scene of Hatzola arson

A few seconds later, flames begin to engulf the vehicles, which are parked on a residential street near the Machzike Hadath Synagogue.

Speaking to the JC at the scene, Philp said: “This is just the latest example. I think it underlines the need for everyone in positions of political leadership to stand side by side with the Jewish community.

“It underlines the need for the police to take more action proactively, to use intelligence gathering techniques and other methods, including working with the security services, to identify and disrupt these plots before they happen.

"The people who did this, those three individuals, I want to see them arrested and sent to prison for a very very long time indeed. And if it turns out that they’re not British citizens, I want to see them deported.”

A new, Iran-linked extremist group calling itself Ashab Al Yamin has claimed responsibility for the attack, as well as explosions at Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands earlier this month.

Counter-Terror Police are leading the investigation, but investigators have yet to declare the attack a terrorist incident and have so far been unable to verify whether the group’s claim is genuine.

Unlike previous cases, Ashab Al Yamin has not released footage of its operatives committing the attack, suggesting it may be claiming “credit” opportunistically.

Philp continued: “On that point, anyone who expresses antisemitism or support for extremism, terrorism or violence who is not a British citizen should be deported because those kind of people are not welcome in this country.”

The shadow home secretary also supported the prospect of examining applicants’ attitudes towards antisemitism as part of British citizenship tests.

And he backed giving police the power to use surveillance measures usually reserved for terrorism or national security investigations to combat antisemitic violence.

“All hate crime based on religion or race is completely despicable, but the Jewish community is particularly victimised in this way.

"Not only do we need the public to understand that, but we need the police to be redoubling their efforts.

"What happened here in the early hours of the morning was clearly organised.”

Commenting on the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on antisemitism in the UK, Philp concluded: “Clearly antisemitism has risen dramatically in the years following October 7.

"We’ve seen some of those marches going through London’s streets using what, in my view, is openly antisemitic language and inciting violence.

"Calls for ‘jihad’ and ‘intifada’, which we’ve seen in those marches, are express calls for violence. In my view that may incite antisemitism and it may incite violence, and the Metropolitan Police should have been a lot tougher on preventing those chants from being heard on the streets of London. In my view it incites antisemitism.

"We do feel more than ripples of those conflicts here in London’s streets...but what is important is that the government of the United Kingdom and the police protect communities under threat.”