Esther McVey has been ridiculed after she called for the compulsory labelling of halal and kosher meat, as many pointed out to her this already happens.
On Tuesday, the Tory MP spoke in the Commons to introduce her Ten Minute Rule Bill for the compulsory labelling of halal and Kosher meat.
McVey argued this would allow people to decide not to eat halal or kosher meat, pointing to animal welfare concerns some may have around whether an animal had been stunned prior to slaughter.
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However, it wasn’t long before many pointed out to the Tatton MP that halal and kosher meat is already labelled, which is exactly how Muslims and Jews know whether or not the meat is halal or kosher.
Responding to McVey’s bill, Labour MP David Pinto-Duschinksy accused her of ‘dog whistles’ in a post on X.
He wrote: “Halal & Kosher meat is already labelled. The claims she makes about stunning are contested.
“This isn’t about animal welfare. It’s about dog whistles that brand minorities & their religious practices as cruel. I expected this of Rupert Lowe, who sponsored a Westminster Hall debate on this a few months ago-but am shocked that senior Tories are following his lead.”
Labour peer Mike Katz pointed out that the “whole point of kosher food, including meat, is that it’s labelled.”
He added: “A little research before calling out the practices of religious people wouldn’t hurt…”
The sentiment was echoed by many others, who asked how Jews and Muslims would know whether or not they can eat meat if it wasn’t already labelled.
McVey’s bill passed its first reading, but has sparked criticism from some within the Jewish community who believe it risks singling out religious practices.
Speaking to the Jewish Chronicle, one Jewish leader said the debate shows “it is open season on Jewish religious practices”.
In a letter to Mcvey ahead of Tuesday’s debate, Shechita UK, which campaigns to defend Jewish religious slaughter, reminded the MP that all kosher meat and products containing kosher meat are already clearly labelled.
Campaign director Shimon Cohen said: “That you are only calling for the ‘labelling (of halal) and kosher meat’ leads me to think that you are not seeking to provide Jews (and Muslims) with information, but you are seeking to provide information beyond audiences the consumers who choose to buy kosher or halal product.”