Outrage as Tories ignore Alan Duncan’s remarks on Israel

Jewish organisations have expressed outrage that a complaint made to the Conservative Party over the language used by a “repeat offender” former minister has been dismissed.

Sir Alan Duncan, who served as foreign minister under Theresa May, had been the subject of an official complaint to the party after he said that Robert Jenrick, whose wife is Jewish and was born in Israel, took his “script” from “the Israelis”.

A letter by the Conservative Party seen by the JC said that it did “not consider the evidence and allegations presented to meet the threshold to investigate as the statements made by Sir Alan Duncan do not reach the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism”.

Reacting to the dismissal of the complaint, Antisemitism Policy Trust CEO Danny Stone told the JC: “Duncan is a repeat offender, his behaviour is embarrassing, and the party should want nothing to do with him.”

In April this year, Duncan was suspended by the Conservative Party for telling broadcaster Nick Ferrari on LBC that that pro-Israel group Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) “has been doing the bidding of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, bypassing all proper processes of government to exercise undue influence at the top of government”.

In July, the JC revealed that he had his membership restored.

Reacting to the latest dismissal of the complaint against Duncan, the Jewish Leadership Council’s chief executive Claudia Mendoza revealed that the organisation had written to the party’s chairman to express concern about his language. She added: “We are deeply disturbed that yet another unacceptable remark has been made by Sir Alan without rebuke by the Conservative Party. His comments lean into centuries-old antisemitic tropes and should not be tolerated.”

As well as his comments about Jenrick taking his “script” from the Israelis, the former MP for Rutland and Melton also told YouTube channel Palestine Deep Dive that Jenrick was “an extremist,” and that “he does not believe in any kind of two- state solution, although he says he does. He knows nothing about it.” Duncan denied his comments were antisemitism. Duncan and the Conservative Party have been contacted for comment.