The reality of IHRA in the NHS: Wes Streeting brought it in after a group that began as the Israel Medical Association's British branch asked for it, and gave the review to Lord Mann, who had just chaired the Board of Deputies' own commission.
Mann's review then recommended what his commission for the Board had already proposed.
What we found:
- The Jewish Medical Association asked Streeting in December 2024 for IHRA and for "symbols, posters, signs, clothing" to be kept out of the NHS, its own newsletter says. It was registered as the Israel Medical Association British Fellowship, and its charitable aims make it "the link association" with the Israel Medical Association.
- Streeting met the Board of Deputies that month "To discuss antisemitism in the NHS", his department's records show. Its constitution commits it to "advance Israel's security, welfare and standing".
- Mann's commission for the Board called for antisemitism training in every NHS trust and a ban on staff "attire". The Board says his NHS review "reinforce[s]" it.
- In October 2025 Streeting asked NHS England to adopt IHRA, and it did the next day. None of Mann's 36 recommendations says to adopt it, yet NHS England asked every NHS organisation to confirm by 31 July whether it had.
Then we followed the money:
- The Antisemitism Policy Trust runs Mann’s office on £420,000 in four uncompeted government grants, according to the government’s own grants data. It ran the review’s secretariat, the review recommends its IHRA guide, and it sells antisemitism training, as the review tells the NHS to train all 1.5 million staff.
- Sir Trevor Chinn, on the executive committee of the pro-Israel lobby group BICOM, according to the Jewish Leadership Council, has given Streeting £33,250 since 2021, two donations while he was Health Secretary. He gave £5,000 to Mann's local party and funded Mann’s antisemitism work through Mann’s company.
- Labour Friends of Israel paid £4,700 for Streeting's trip to Israel. Israel's foreign ministry paid for Mann's trip to Jerusalem.
This matters because the IHRA definition treats some criticism of Israel as antisemitic, and NHS England has urged every trust to adopt it.
It now lands on nurses and doctors: UK Lawyers for Israel, which says it supports Israel "using their legal skills", complained to at least eight NHS trusts over Palestine badges, lanyards and flags, and Barts banned political symbols after its complaints.
The same group asks the World Medical Association to protect the Israel Medical Association, and asks NHS trusts to stop British nurses wearing a Palestine badge.
We mapped every link, each with its source:
newscord.org/editorials/who-…