Lib Dems and Conservatives have not been loving others as they love themselves

Launching their ‘Race and Faith’ manifesto was always going to be a difficult day for a party heavily criticised for its handling of anti-Semitism.

It was made a harder sell after the Chief Rabbi in the UK said in The Times on Tuesday that many Jews were scared of a Labour government, with the Archbishop of Canterbury backing him up. 

As people waited outside the launch for Jeremy Corbyn with signs about anti-Semitism, a gospel choir sang inside and the party set out their vision for minorities and religious people.

The Race and Faith manifesto says Labour will appoint an envoy for freedom of religion and belief (a role the current government have), that they will strengthen communities’ rights to wear religious symbols and will have all religions taught about in schools.

Labour’s pledges seem to echo the recommendations of the Bishop of Truro’s report in the persecution of Christians in Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa, without naming the report.

For example, they promise to train Foreign Office staff in religious literacy – something that was brought to the fore after Christian converts were initially denied asylum because they claimed Christianity was a religion of peace and civil servants handpicked Bible verses about violence to argue that an Iranian should not be granted asylum because they didn’t…