The UK government has launched a formal investigation into antisemitism in schools following an incident in which a Jewish member of Parliament was barred from visiting a school in his own constituency.

UK Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson announced the probe in an article published Sunday in *The Telegraph*, vowing that the government would leave “no stone unturned” to ensure schools and colleges have appropriate systems in place to identify and respond to antisemitism.

The investigation follows an incident involving Damien Egan, a Jewish MP who was prevented from visiting Bristol Brunel Academy in his Bristol North East constituency. Egan, who converted to Judaism, was blocked from the visit after pressure from pro-Palestinian activists.

According to reports, the decision came after lobbying by the Bristol branch of the National Education Union and the Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign. The latter group publicly stated that “politicians who openly support Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza are not welcome in our schools.”

Egan serves as vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel and has visited Israel since October 7. He is also married to an Israeli man — factors that have made him a repeated target of anti-Israel activism and protests.

Phillipson strongly condemned the incident when it became public.

“What happened to my colleague Damien Egan is shocking and completely unacceptable,” she said. “A Jewish MP’s visit to a school in his own constituency was stopped from going ahead.”

The education secretary said the government’s investigation will examine how schools handle antisemitism and whether current safeguards are sufficient, stressing that discrimination of any kind has no place in Britain’s education system.

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