Nathan also threw himself into the cause of political emancipation for Jews, who, along with Nonconformists and Roman Catholics, had to fight hard for the right to sit in Parliament.

This, along with other restrictions affecting anyone outside the Church of England, was a left-over from the settlement that followed the Civil War in the 17th century. The restrictions were offensive to the minorities themselves and to progressives generally, but were stoutly defended by the more conservative. Traditionalists feared the consequences for society of breaking down this carefully-crafted unifying measure.

Nathan tried to advance reform through political influence. The cause had strong support, not least from the Duke of Wellington, who was by now Prime Minister; but also from other celebrated figures like the historian and politician Thomas Babington Macaulay, and even the king's brother, the Duke of Sussex, a prominent supporter of the Jews and activist in the cause of emancipation.

In his own lifetime, however, Nathan was not to succeed. The 1820s finally saw the restrictions against most Nonconformists and Roman Catholics removed, but the requirement for Members of Parliament to swear an oath 'on the true faith of a Christian' left Jews disqualified.

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