Kay Burley In Awkward Exchange With Tory Chairman Over Jenrick Star Of David Plan

Kay Burley endured an awkward interview with the Tory Party chairman over plans by Robert Jenrick to display a Star of David at every UK port.

The Tory leadership contender revealed that he had pushed the idea when he was immigration minister.

He told a Conservative Friends of Israel fringe event at the Tory conference on Sunday night: “A small thing that I fought for when I was the immigration minister was to ensure that every Israeli citizen could enter our country through the e-gate, through the easy access.

“So that at every airport and point of entry to our great country there is the Star of David there as a symbol that we support Israel, we stand with Israel.”

On Sky News this morning, Burley asked Conservative chairman Richard Fuller if he supported the idea.

He said: “You can ask me my view of a particular policy of a particular candidate, not the policy of the Conservative Party, and it’s up to Mr Jenrick.

“He’s one of four [leadership] candidates, the people you should be asking this question to, if I may say, isn’t me it’s the other three candidates to see if there’s a difference of opinion.

“It’s not our party’s policy to do that. If Mr Jenrick becomes leader then he can decide if that’s an issue he wants to push.”

Burley then replied: “You’re the chairman of the Conservative Party, I’m asking you whether one of the four candidates who would want to be leader and potentially prime minister come the next election [if] you support his suggestion that a Star of David should be on display at every port of entry to the UK to show support for Jewish and Israeli people coming into the country.”

Fuller said: “As I say, if Mr Jenrick leads the party that will be a matter for the party to have a view upon. Right now he’s putting forward, as all the candidates are, what they think are the priorities for the country.

“The people who are going to be judging whether that’s the right direction for our party and our country are going to be first of all the MPs and then the members.”

The presenter then said: “So just to clarify, as chairman of the party, you don’t have a view on something that could divide the party and potentially the nation.”

Fuller said: “Well I may have views but I may not choose to express them because I have a role in the selection process of the leader.”

Burley then asked: “Er … are you sure you don’t want to comment on it?”

After a brief pause, Fuller said: “Yes.”

Burley replied: “How interesting. Let’s see where that goes from here.”

The other three candidates in the Tory leadership election race are James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat and Kemi Badenoch.