Tory leadership contenders raise concerns about pro-Palestine marches at CFI hustings

Tory leadership contenders Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have both expressed concern about the continuation of pro-Palestine demos as they appeared at a Conservative Friends of Israel hustings.

Speaking separately at a well-attended event on Monday night, Jenrick labeled the regular demos not just “anti-Israel or anti-Jewish – but anti-British.”

Badenoch meanwhile accused the police of furthering criticism that they appeared to “want certain groups to be more protected than others” at the protests.

Both candidates, speaking to elected new leader next month, were briefly quizzed by host Lord Polak, before the audience, made of party activists, many from the community, were offered the chance to put their questions to the two former ministers.

In an admission that the Tories failed to tackle the issues around the Palestine protests, and their impact on some of the community while in power, Badenoch said:”If we had dealt with them early before it snowballed we would not be seeing the mass protests we are now, we could have dealt with this all the way back in October last year.”

Jenrick, who responded to a question put to him by Marble Arch synagogue’s Rabbi Daniel Epstein about the impact of the protests on his congregation added:”I urged the Met Commissioner to take action when the police failed to arrest someone who shouted ‘Jihad’ in Oxford Street.”

He added he saw the “immensely damaging effect on the British Jewish community and on the city more generally” the demos have had.

Given a wide-range of questions both candidates unsurprisingly stressed their strong support for Israel, with Badonoch accusing Labour of making an “extremely disappointing” decision by announcing a partial arms sale suspension,Jernick meanwhile insisted the government were “no friend of Israel.” 

Perhaps the biggest difference of opinion emerged over Jerick’s controversial pledge to take Britain out of the European Court of Human Rights.

Badenoch explained why she opposed this drastic move.”We actually agree on quite a lot,” she said of her opponent, “but I think leaving the ECHR is not the first step … the ECHR is not the only reason our borders are being run properly.” 

She raised the issues around Northern Ireland and the threat to the Good Friday Agreement posed by a decision to leave.

“The bottom line is we are not in government,” added Badenoch. Whoever makes a promise about the ECHR is not going to be in power tomorrow. What are we going to do over the next five years – is that still going to be the issue?”

Top media lawyer Adam Cannon then raised concerns about likely “lack of protections” that could emerge with an exit from the ECHR to Jenrick.

He responded saying:”I’ve thought about this in great detail. I’ve traveled around Europe. I think we can write our own British Bill of Rights. We thought about that in the past, but concluded that you couldn’t do it whilst you remain within the ECHR. And I think in many respects, this can be stronger in its protections than the ECHR, particularly to things that we conservatives care about, like freedom of speech, for example, which I think is in danger in this country, as across the West. ”

Monday event was also attended by several senior party figures including Lord Pickles, Tobias Ellwood, and Stephen Crabb.