Finchley and Golders Green MP Mike Freer met Luciana Berger to reassure her of a 'clean fight'

In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Freer moved to clarify his position around Brexit and discussed his continued strong support for Israel. He also voiced his opinion, as an openly gay man, on the objections to same sex education in schools from some in the strictly-Orthodox community.

But asked about suggestions that the decision by former Labour MP Ms Berger to stand in his seat had prompted anger among some of his supporters, Mr Freer was keen to elaborate.

“I have no personal disagreement with Luciana,” he said. “She and I had a cup of tea last week.

“She said to me, ‘Look we are going to have a clean flight.’

“And I said, ‘you will always have a clean fight with me.’

“I’ve been on the end of dirty tricks. But I said, ‘I will fight you on your policies.’”

Reacting to the poll published by the JC last week which showed Ms Berger would win the seat if there was an election called now, Mr Freer said: “The poll was commissioned by the Lib Dems for the Lib Dems.

“It was only 400 people. The only poll that counts is the election. If Luciana was so convinced that the poll was accurate, why didn’t she vote for an election?”

Mr Freer was also less than impressed with those who argue that electing Ms Berger as the MP for Finchley and Golders Green would be the best insurance policy to prevent the Lib Dems from entering into a coalition with Jeremy Corbyn’s party.

Since becoming leader, Ms Swinson has repeatedly insisted she would not prop up a Labour government at any cost — citing both Mr Corbyn’s position on Brexit and the long-running antisemitism crisis.

“She would not have that power,” says Mr Freer of Ms Berger’s influence over her new party.

“If the Lib Dems want to do a coalition with Jeremy Corbyn then they will enter into one with him, end of.”

It would be wrong to suggest Mr Freer wished to dwell on discussing his new local political rival.

He refused to play down the strength locally of the Labour Party, who came within 1,600 votes of toppling him with Jeremy Newmark as candidate in 2017.

“They are a strong local party who keep us on our toes,” said Mr Freer, who had heard widespread speculation that Liberal Judaism Rabbi Danny Rich could be announced as Labour’s candidate following the decision of the previous candidate, Sara Conway, to stand down.

Mr Freer also expanded on his close relations with many in the Jewish community, in a seat where at least 20 per cent of voters are Jews.

He said his experience as a gay man has led him to understand and empathise with a community which only 70 years ago suffered the horror of the Holocaust.

“When you interact, your empathy and your knowledge grows,” says Mr Freer of his near decade-long stint as the local MP.

“People have said to me, it’s hardly a surprise that you are a friend when you represent the constituency with the largest Jewish community.

“But I have thought, actually, during in the Holocaust, I too would have been on the transport.

“I wouldn’t have had the yellow Star of David, but I would have had the pink one on.

“Obviously I don’t have the personal history, I don’t have the family history.

“But I do understand that if it were to happen again I’d be alongside a big chunk of my constituency. And that does resonate.”

Mr Freer also reaffirmed his strong support for the state of Israel — and his continued opposition to moves towards immediate recognition of a Palestinian state.

“It doesn’t mean I am an uncritical friend,” said Mr Freer of his long-time backing for the Jewish state, and his continued involvement with the Conservative Friends of Israel group.

“It’s a modern, thriving, almost throbbing democracy,” he said of Israel.

He suggests that he would support a two-state solution to the Middle East crisis but only once “the Palestinian leadership accepts the right of Israel to exist”.

Mr Freer said he becomes “very annoyed” at those who march against Israel but who fail to recognise “as a gay man I couldn’t live in Bahrain and I certainly couldn’t live in Ramallah”.

He has visited Israel in the past with CFI and says he intends to go again on “a private visit later in the year with Angelo [his partner] and a colleague.

“We are going to hire a car and drive around — although you have to tell the embassy you are there,” he added.

“But the idea is, I’m going to meet some people. If you are a politician you are not quite on holiday. I’d quite like to drive to some of the smaller villages and see the real Israel. Although I might do some politics while I am there.”

Mr Freer has come under some pressure locally to explain his position on Brexit, having backed staying in Europe in the 2016 referendum and then insisting he would respect the result of the poll.

Having worked as a government whip under the previous Prime Minister, Theresa May, he continues in the role under Boris Johnson, with the risk of a no-deal Brexit still not ruled out under his leadership.

“I have known Boris for 11 years and I worked closely with him at City Hall, not least on Henlys Corner.

“I have told Boris that I do not have a difference with him personally — but I cannot and will not support a no-deal Brexit.

“We had that very blunt discussion. When I was asked to stay in the whip’s office I made it clear my views had not changed.

“I will do all I can to ensure we have a deal.

“I have had that conversation several times with Boris since he became PM. He looked me in the eye and told me: ‘Mike, I will get a deal’.”

Mr Freer rejected widespread beliefs that whips would regularly bully MPs into supporting the government view.

“The days of House of Cards are long gone,” he said. “The idea of bullying and blackmailing people — it’s not my style.”

But Mr Freer revealed he had been unafraid to enter the controversial debate within the strictly-Orthodox community over the introduction of relationships and sexuality education by the government in schools.

He said he “always takes the view that if you are too confrontational the shutters can come down and you don’t get dialogue”.

Mr Freer revealed he holds round table talks with “Orthodox rabbonim” twice a year at which “we tend to talk more about parking permits than we do sex education.”

But he admitted that when the topic does crop up, much of the so-called controversial teaching is “age specific.

“I try to explain that when it involves very young children it’s about safeguarding,” he said.

“If you are touched inappropriately as a young child, you need to know how to handle it.

“As you get older, and what is often missed (by critics) is that much of the teaching is about sex in a relationship, in a marriage. Surely this should be welcomed?”

Mr Freer suggested that nine years ago, discussing topics such as same sex relationships in Hasmonean Boys would have remained “taboo.”

He said: “Now they teach the religious view, but they also teach that in secular society this is what happens. I think that is a mature approach."