Robert Jenrick dons 'Hamas are terrorists' hoodie to make same Jerusalem vow as Donald Trump

Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick channelled Donald Trump in promising to move Britain's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem if he were to get into power

Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick has said he wants to move Britain's embassy to Jerusalem if he gets into power.

The Tory MP for Newark channelled Donald Trump in promising to move Britain's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem if he were to become PM. Mr Jenrick made the comments at a reception for the Conservative Friends of Israel at the Tory Party conference in Birmingham on Sunday evening.

Mr Jenrick, who wore a hoodie that said 'Hamas are Terrorists', also said the Star of David should be displayed at every point of entry to the UK as he wants the UK to be “the most welcoming country in the world for Israelis and the Jewish community”.

Five states have their embassies in Jerusalem, after recognising it as Israel's capital city. They include the US, after Mr Trump moved it there when he was President. Palestine also claims Jerusalem as its capital city. The British embassy is currently in Tel Aviv.

Speaking at Sunday's fringe event, Mr Fringe said: "I stood in this very hall a few years ago and I said it then, as I say it now tonight, and if the Foreign Office or the civil servants don't want to do it, I will build it myself. So friends, the next Conservative Party manifesto will say build the embassy in Jerusalem, recognise Jerusalem as the legitimate capital of the state of Israel."

Mr Jenrick continued: “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. We are friends and allies of Israel, and Israelis are welcome in our country.”

Mr Jenrick is vying to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, alongside Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat. All four candidates set out their support for Israel at the reception on Sunday evening.

Ms Badenoch claimed a group of independent MPs who stood on pro-Gaza tickets are a "new threat", telling the fringe event: "We must not pretend that these people are a minority. We have to fight this ideology that has no business in our country."

Mr Cleverly, the former Foreign Secretary, said Israel has his "personal support" in the "defence of your democracy", while Mr Tugendhat said the Conservatives should be "absolutely clear that we will always stand with democracies defending themselves" and hit out against Labour's partial arms embargo on Israel.

It comes as the war in the middle east continues to escalate. In just over a week, intensified Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed seven high-ranking commanders and officials from the powerful Hezbollah militant group, including the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.