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The Jewish Chronicle

Britain's oldest Jewish newspaper, breaking UK legal and political stories since 1841.

Last refreshed: 30 March 2026

Key Question

Did Britain's attorney general secretly rule UK base use illegal in the Iran war?

Timeline for The Jewish Chronicle

#4623 Mar

Cited Starmer's 'defensive' framing to justify bypassing a Commons vote

Iran Conflict 2026: Starmer shuts Parliament out of Iran war
View full timeline →
Common Questions
What is The Jewish Chronicle?
The Jewish Chronicle is Britain's oldest Jewish newspaper, founded in 1841 in London. It covers British Jewish community affairs, Israeli politics, antisemitism, and UK political news.Source: The Jewish Chronicle
What story did The Jewish Chronicle break about the Iran war?
In 2026, The Jewish Chronicle and The Guardian jointly disclosed that attorney general Lord Hermer KC had privately assessed UK support for US operations against Iran as potentially contrary to international law, contradicting the government's public position.Source: The Jewish Chronicle / The Guardian
Who is Lord Hermer and what did he say about UK involvement in Iran?
Lord Hermer KC is the UK's attorney general. He reportedly assessed that British base access for US operations against Iran did not accord with international law, a finding first disclosed by The Guardian and The Jewish Chronicle.Source: The Jewish Chronicle

Background

The Jewish Chronicle is Britain's oldest and most authoritative Jewish newspaper, founded in 1841 in London. It covers British Jewish community affairs, Israeli politics, antisemitism, and UK political news with particular attention to the Jewish community's interests. The paper has a long tradition of investigative reporting on stories that intersect British public life with Jewish concerns.

In 2026 the Chronicle broke a significant legal story alongside The Guardian: that attorney general Lord Hermer KC had privately assessed the UK's support for US operations against Iran as potentially contrary to international law. The disclosure came as Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly defended British base access as 'specific and limited defensive purposes,' placing the paper at the centre of a major constitutional row .

The story illustrated the Chronicle's broader editorial posture: willing to report critically on a Labour government on questions of law and warfare, even as the British Jewish community holds mixed views on UK involvement in the Iran conflict. The paper's readership skews towards strong Israel supporters, yet the Hermer scoop put it alongside The Guardian on a story uncomfortable for both the government and advocates of a robust Western military posture.

More questions
How does The Jewish Chronicle differ from The Guardian in its Iran coverage?
The two papers have different readerships and editorial standpoints but jointly broke the Hermer legal advice story in 2026. The Chronicle serves the British Jewish community; The Guardian has a broad liberal audience. Together they maximised the political impact of the disclosure.Source: The Jewish Chronicle / The Guardian