MP’s Secret School Visit Amidst Protest Controversy
A scheduled visit by a Jewish Member of Parliament to a Bristol school was forced into secrecy after pro-Palestinian protestors threatened to disrupt the event due to his affiliations. Labour MP Damien Egan, representing Bristol North East, had his initial September visit to Bristol Brunel Academy cancelled following a campaign spearheaded by far-Left staff members, represented by the National Education Union (NEU) and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).
The activists cited “safeguarding concerns” as the reason for barring Mr. Egan, claiming to represent the sentiments of teachers, parents, and local residents. Their objection stemmed from Mr. Egan’s association with Labour Friends of Israel, a parliamentary group advocating for Israel and a two-state solution to the ongoing conflict. It’s important to note that this group does not receive funding from the Israeli government.
The NEU and PSC declared the cancellation a “win for safeguarding, solidarity, and for the power of the NEU trade union staff group, parents, and campaigners standing together.”
Following the initial cancellation, the visit was rescheduled. However, to circumvent further disruption, the school’s staff were not informed of the new date, leading Mr. Egan to conduct his visit under wraps.
Mr. Egan, who became an MP after a by-election in 2024, acknowledged the public’s right to protest but highlighted the security considerations that Members of Parliament must take into account. He described his eventual visit as “lovely,” meeting with the headteacher, school council, and students, and found the engagement “fabulous.”
Jon Redford, the NEU’s Bristol representative, speaking to BBC Politics West, stated that the staff had “no intention” of orchestrating Mr. Egan’s barring from the school. He suggested that discussions among staff revolved around potentially wearing keffiyeh scarves and watermelon badges in solidarity with Palestine, but insisted that any external protest was “entirely independent.”
Mr. Redford elaborated that staff wished to express their opposition to “a supporter of a genocidal regime coming to their school,” aiming to present an alternative perspective and signal that Mr. Egan should not anticipate unqualified support for his views. When questioned about the basis for these claims, Mr. Redford pointed to Mr. Egan’s links with Labour Friends of Israel and his past visit to the country.
Mr. Egan, in defence of his engagement, maintained that such visits are “a good thing” as they provide opportunities to “go out and meet with people.”
The Labour Friends of Israel website clarifies its funding model, stating it relies on “the generosity of members of the Jewish community and those who share our commitment to the State of Israel.”
Mr. Egan further explained that the group collaborates with left-leaning organisations within Israel and also in Palestine, specifically mentioning the West Bank. He highlighted their efforts to lobby the government for funding a peace program designed to bring civil society organisations from both Israel and the West Bank to engage in dialogue.
Ofsted Inspection and Independent Review
An inspection conducted by Ofsted into Bristol Brunel Academy found “no evidence of bias” in the school’s day-to-day operations. However, the trust overseeing the school, Cabot Learning Federation (CLF), has committed to commissioning an independent review into the decision to cancel Mr. Egan’s September visit.
This is not the first instance of the CLF yielding to pressure from the NEU. The trust previously cancelled a speaker from the Israeli tech company Check Point Software Technologies at its summer conference last July, following similar advocacy from the union.
A spokesperson for the CLF expressed satisfaction with hosting Mr. Egan for a “productive visit” to Bristol Brunel Academy, noting that the MP had explicitly requested that the visit’s plans not be shared in advance, a request the CLF respected. The spokesperson added that any safety concerns regarding protests had originated “from outside the school.”
The Ofsted report specifically addressed the alleged staff-led protest, stating: “No member of staff inspectors spoke with were aware of a proposed staff-led protest against the MP’s visit.” The inspectors also noted that staff expressed pride in the school’s inclusive environment for pupils and conveyed their hurt at the school’s portrayal in certain narratives. The report concluded, “Regardless of how this has been reported elsewhere, there is no evidence that staff at the school proposed wearing specific items of clothing in response to a planned visit.”
