UK pledges £250 million to protect Jewish communities and synagogues

Britain pledged more than £250 million over three years to strengthen protection around Jewish neighbourhoods, synagogues, schools and community centres, and to expand counter-terrorism capabilities. The package is set to deliver more than 500 additional officers across England and Wales, with the Metropolitan Police due to receive £86 million to recruit about 300 extra officers and deepen visible patrols in London.

The spending follows a sharp rise in violent and threatening incidents aimed at Jewish sites. In April 2026, two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, and in May a former synagogue in Whitechapel was hit by an arson attack. After the Golders Green assault and wider threat concerns, the national terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe.

The scale of the new package also builds on a broader run of government spending on faith-site protection. In February, ministers announced a record £73.4 million for protective security at Jewish, Muslim and other faith sites in 2026 to 2027, including up to £28.4 million for the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, which the Community Security Trust manages on behalf of the Home Office. In May, the government added £1 million to a programme aimed at antisemitism and community cohesion in the places facing the greatest risk, alongside £500,000 for Barnet Council. The money itself is aimed mainly at officers, patrols, security staff and counter-terrorism operations rather than the social conditions that fuel antisemitism. CST recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2025, the second-highest annual total it has ever logged, with monthly incidents averaging 308, double the rate seen in the year before 7 October 2023.