Calling for jihad is not automatically a criminal offence, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said amid outrage over chants heard during pro-Palestinian protests.

Max Hill KC, the outgoing Director of Public Prosecutions, told The Telegraph that police and prosecutors were “applying the law” and would not change their approach.

“We absolutely understand the anxiety that everybody has on all sides in relation to things that have been said and done during the protests,” he said.

“But we don’t get involved in political discussions about what may or may not be desired, because we’re not politicians. We don’t set policy, we obey the law.”