A group of senior MPs will this evening begin touring Britain's top universities in an attempt to improve relations between Muslim and Jewish students.

Peers from both faiths are aiming to defuse tensions that have worsened on university campuses as a result of conflicts in the Middle East.

The tour, which begins tonight at the London School of Economics at an event to be chaired by Times writer David Aaronovitch, is being run by the Coexistence Trust, a body that brings together Jewish and Muslim politicians with the aim of improving interfaith relations.

Life for students from both faiths has become more strained, especially since the 2006 conflict between Israel and Lebanon. Jewish students have been the main victims of poster campaigns and internet abuse.

Another aim of the tour is to counter any temptation faced by Muslim students to join extremist groups.

The parliamentarians aim to improve a worsening climate where both Jewish and Muslim students are becoming victims of prejudice and stereotyping.

Baroness Warsi and Lord Mitchell are launching the tour which is the first cross-party initiative addressing Muslim and Jewish student relations.

Other participants include Lord Ahmed, Baroness Afshar, Baroness Deech, Baroness Falkner, Hameed, Michael Howard, Lord Janner and Khalid Mahmood MP.

The group will next week visit universities at Birmingham, Leeds, Cambridge and Oxford.

This year a report found that anti-Semitism on campus remains a challenge that has yet to be resolved by the Government. In a follow-up report to the All-Party Inquiry into Anti-Semitism, MPs called for more to be done.

Lord Mitchell, Labour Peer and chairman of the Coexistence Trust, said: “People are apprehensive about certain universities. The hostility that my [Jewish] grandfather faced when he came to this country and what many Muslims face today… it’s the same old story."

He added: "In addition to promoting positive relations between young Muslims and Jews in UK Universities, we hope the tour will address the aspirations of Muslim and Jewish students as they integrate into society; their values and life-goals."

Baroness Warsi, the Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion, said: “There are so many experiences that the British Jewish and British Muslim Community share; from the geographical areas that they settled in upon arriving in the UK, to facing questions about their loyalty to Britain and the challenges of anti-Semitism and anti-Islamic sentiment. Britain can learn a huge amount from exploring these shared experiences, which will help politicians and policy makers in parliament respond to the challenges that we face today”

Labour Peer Lord Ahmed said: "It is imperative for our own religious communities to work together, particularly it is important for Jews and Muslims in the UK to build positive and collaborative relationships."

Baroness Falkner, a Liberal Democrat, said: "Jewish and Muslim people work together in all walks of life, yet we seem to live apart. This tour will finally give us an opportunity to get beneath the skin and to talk of all the things that bring us together in this country and where we might make common cause. It's long overdue"

Crossbencher Baroness Deech said: “Like many others I have lived a life of a religious minority and I would like to share with Muslim friends and colleagues the experiences we had and how we have managed to succeed. This is a tolerant country and I am sure our voices will be heard.

Adam Pike, Chair of the Union of Jewish Students, said: "The Union of Jewish Students is delighted to be supporting this initiative. The work of Coexistence Trust sits well with UJS's belief in the importance of interfaith work and we look forward to the positive message from the peers. The response from local Jewish societies has been wholly positive and they are keen to share their experiences."