Labour MP suspended after pro-Palestine rally speech has whip restored

13 March 2024 , 16:27

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Andy McDonald will now sit as a Labour MP again after sitting as an independent since October (Image: Ian Cooper / Teesside Live)

A Labour MP who was suspended after using the phrase "between the river and the sea" at a pro-Palestine rally last year has had the whip restored.

In a speech urging peace between Israelis and Palestinians at a rally in October, the former Shadow Cabinet Minister Andy McDonald said: "We won't rest until we have justice, until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea can live in peaceful liberty."

Mr McDonald had the Labour whip suspended after the party said the comments were "deeply offensive". He has since sat in the Commons as an independent.

But after a five-month investigation, Labour said on Wednesday the probe had "concluded that he had not engaged in conduct that was against the party’s rulebook". It reminded him "the importance of elected representatives being mindful".

Ms McDonald said he's "grateful" to have the Labour whip restored, and is "pleased" the investigation found he didn't breach the party's rules. He added: "It was never my intention to use words that would cause anyone distress or anguish and I bitterly regret the pain and hurt caused. Accordingly, I will not use that phrasing again.

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"I will continue to denounce the abominations of antisemitism and Islamophobia wherever they raise their ugly heads. These are key reasons why I joined the Labour Party 45 years ago."

The phrase "from the river to the sea" has been branded deeply offensive by the Campaign against Antisemitism. It said it refers to the land between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea, and "only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state".

But pro-Palestinian protesters have contested this definition. The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and other campaigners argue that the slogan refers to "the right of all Palestinians to freedom, equality and justice".

A Labour Party spokesman said: "The Chief Whip has today restored the Labour Whip to Andy McDonald MP. This follows a full investigation by the Labour Party into complaints received about public remarks that he made in October 2023.

"The investigation concluded that he had not engaged in conduct that was against the Party’s rulebook but reminded him of the importance of elected representatives being mindful, not only of what they say in public, but how their words may be interpreted, especially in reference to controversial or emotive issues. The Chief Whip met with Andy following the outcome of the investigation and received assurances that he understands the need to be mindful and about his future conduct."

Sophie Huskisson