Real History and the British Honours System The Index to the Traditional Enemies of Free Speech Alphabetical index (text) [images added by this website] 1 Jewish fury as Labour calls Letwin ‘Fagin’ By Melissa Kite, Chris Hastings and David Bamber IAN McCartney, the Labour Party chairman, was embroiled in a furious row last night after describing a Jewish member of the shadow cabinet as a “21st century Fagin”.
He caused outrage by comparing Oliver Letwin ( right ), the shadow chancellor, to the loathed villain in Charles Dickens ‘s Oliver Twist , during a barnstorming speech meant to rally Scottish Labour MPs at their annual conference. During an attack on Tory spending plans Ian McCartney lampooned Mr Letwin, the descendant of Jewish refugees from Ukraine, as “Slasher Letwin”. He told delegates: “The real danger . . . is the Tories. What would life under Slasher Letwin look like?
No Oliver Twist, this man, more of a Fagin. “This 21st century Fagin will pick the pockets of Scotland’s pensioners by abolishing the pension credit and then plan for a new generation of poor pensioners by abolishing the second state pension.” Jewish leaders said that the slur was the height of irresponsibility when there were growing fears over a rise of anti-Semitism in Britain, which has 280,000 Jews.
Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain , of Maidenhead Synagogue, a spokesman for Reform Synagogues, said: “I find the remark highly offensive. It is a throw