Keir Starmer has been blasted by British Jews for failing to respond to a 'national emergency' in the wake of the Golders Green terror attack.

Jewish groups called on Labour to bring in emergency legislation cracking down on anti-Semitism, while the Conservatives accused the Prime Minister of 'dithering'.

The Chief Rabbi backed calls for a moratorium on the hate marches that have taken place across Britain in the wake of Hamas' attacks on Israel in 2023.

Sir Ephraim Mirvis said marches should be banned 'as soon as possible'. 

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We are witnessing the normalisation of anti-Semitism and it most definitely has not been taken seriously enough. 

'Jonathan Hall, the independent adviser to the Government, has recommended a moratorium on the demonstrations. 

'I think this is wise advice and would love to see it being implemented ASAP, before the next demonstrations which are planned.'

It sets Labour on a collision course with critics ahead of the next flashpoint protest marches in the capital on May 16 – the same day as the FA Cup final, which will already require hundreds of Metropolitan Police officers to be diverted to keep fans safe at Wembley. 

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is organising the Nakba 78 march in central London on the same day against what it describes as Israel's 'apartheid and genocide'.

The Jewish Leadership Council's Russell Langer urged Labour to declare 'the rules of the game have changed' as Tony Blair did in the wake of the July 7 suicide bombings in 2005. 

He added: 'Ministers need to see this as the national emergency it is. The pace of change has been too slow since October [when two were killed in the Manchester synagogue attack].'

Mr Langer urged ministers to pass emergency legislation using the Civil Contingencies Act to ban marches and bear down on anti-Jewish hate. 

A sweeping ban would require a new Act of Parliament and take months to implement unless ministers bring forward emergency legislation.

A spokesman for the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism said: 'This is a national emergency and the Government needs to start acting like it. 

'We have been calling for an end to the hate marches for years now. They are Ground Zero for the surge in anti-Semitism that we have been seeing and have disfigured our country. 

'It is tragic that Jewish people need to be murdered in Manchester and stabbed in London and Jewish institutions need to be targeted by arson day after day for the Government to start getting the message.'

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp urged the Government to 'get off the fence', adding: 'Starmer has dithered for too long. The tidal wave of anti-Semitism is a national crisis and urgent action is needed to protect our Jewish community.

'Long-term bans on marches would most likely require a change in the law and the Government should just get on with it.'

Rather than advocating sweeping bans on marches the Prime Minister this week said law-breakers should be prosecuted after taking part in such events.

Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he was 'concerned' about the scale of upcoming protests, adding his force was 'looking hard at what conditions and powers we should use'.