Jewish Naturalisation Act 1753

The Jewish Naturalisation Act 1753 (26 Geo. 2. c. 26) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom) of the Parliament of Great Britain which allowed Jews resident in Britain to become naturalised by application to Parliament. It received royal assent on 7 July 1753 but was repealed in 1754 by the Naturalization of Jews Act 1754 (27 Geo. 2. c. 1) due to widespread opposition to its provisions.

The act was brought by the Prime Minister Henry Pelham, possibly as a reward for the Jewish support for the British government during the Jacobite rising of 1745, and for the service of Jewish volunteers in the military defense of London. The act passed the House of Lords without much opposition, but it met with the protests of the Tories in the House of Commons. They viewed it as an anti-Christian policy. The Whigs persisted in enforcing the act as part of their general policy of religious toleration, and the bill was passed and received royal assent by George II of Great Britain. The public reacted with an enormous outburst of antisemitism, and the Bill was repealed in the next sitting of Parliament.