Britain's chief rabbi calls Jeremy Corbyn unfit to be prime minister

Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis on Monday called Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn unfit to be prime minister for failing to remove anti-Semitism from his party.

Why it matters: Such interventions from religious leaders are unusual, according to Reuters. Mirvis's opinion article in The Times of London came just weeks before the Dec. 12 general elections.

What they're saying: “It is a failure of leadership. A new poison – sanctioned from the top – has taken root in the Labour Party,” Mirvis wrote. “Be in no doubt, the very soul of our nation is at stake.”

• A Labour spokesman said Corbyn has campaigned against anti-Semitism and that “a Labour government will guarantee the security of the Jewish community, defend and support the Jewish way of life, and combat rising anti-Semitism in our country and across Europe," according to Reuters.
• Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, backed Mirvis's comments, saying they indicated the fears of many Jews, The Guardian reports.

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