Foreign Secretary David Lammy has furiously criticised Tory leader Kemi Badenoch after she appeared to defend Israel detaining and deporting two British Labour MPs
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has furiously criticised Tory leader Kemi Badenoch after she appeared to defend Israel detaining and deporting two British MPs.
Mr Lammy hit back on social media after Ms Badenoch appeared to blame the two Labour MPs for giving reason for Israel to block their entry to the country. He said: “Kemi Badenoch, it’s disgraceful you are cheerleading another country for detaining and deporting two British MPs. Do you say the same about Tory MPs banned from China? This government will continue to stand up for the rights of our MPs to speak their mind, whatever their party.”
Two Labour MPs, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, said they are “astounded” after being denied entry to Israel. In a joint statement this morning, they said it is “vital” that parliamentarians are able to “witness first-hand” the situation on the ground in Palestine. On Saturday evening Mr Lammy said it was “deeply concerning” that they had not been allowed into the country.
READ MORE: Fury as two Labour MPs denied entry to Israel – ‘astounded’ and ‘unprecedented’
But Ms Badenoch took a different stance. Asked about the situation, the Conservative leader said she is “not surprised” that two Labour MPs were denied entry to Israel. She told the BBC: “Countries should be able to control their borders. What I think is shocking is that we have MPs in Labour who other countries will not allow into, allow through. I think that’s very significant.”
Pressed on why it was shocking, she said: “If you look at the reasons why the Israeli government has given for why they’re not letting them in, they don’t believe that they’re going to comply with their laws. MPs do not have diplomatic immunity. I believe that the people who represent us in Parliament should be people who should be able to go anywhere in the world, and people not be worried about what they’re going to do when they go into their countries.”
Asked if she was suggesting the Israelis were right to worry that these two Labour politicians would break the law if they got into the country, Ms Badenoch added: “That’s the reason they gave and what I believe is that every country should be able to control its borders. We do the same thing. There are many people that we don’t allow into our country, and I don’t think we should be setting precedence in a different way.”
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In a joint statement posted on X on Sunday, Ms Mohamed and Ms Yang said: “We’re astounded at the unprecedented step taken by the Israeli authorities to refuse British MPs entry on our trip to visit the occupied West Bank. It is vital that parliamentarians are able to witness first-hand the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
The statement, shared on Ms Mohamed’s X page, said they have “spoken out in Parliament in recent months” on the Israel-Palestine conflict, and “parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons without fear of being targeted”. They said they had made the trip with charity partners as part of an MPs’ delegation “to visit humanitarian aid projects and communities in the West Bank”.
Ms Yang represents the constituency of Earley and Woodley, in Berkshire, while Ms Mohamed represents Sheffield Central. Both were elected to Parliament last July.
The Foreign Secretary said he had “made clear” to his counterparts in the Israeli government that it is “no way to treat British parliamentarians”. In a statement on Saturday evening, Mr Lammy said: “It is unacceptable, counterproductive and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities.
“I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support. The UK Government’s focus remains securing a return to the ceasefire and negotiations to stop the bloodshed, free the hostages and end the conflict in Gaza.”
Dame Emily Thornberry, chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said the treatment of two Labour MPs who were denied entry to Israel was “badly advised” and “an insult to Britain”. She said Israel would “rue the day that they did this to British parliamentarians”.
She told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “These are two young women who are potential leaders. They are highly respected parliamentarians, and Israel is badly advised to try to alienate them, to humiliate them, and to treat them in this way because people listen to what these two young women say, and they will do for decades to come.
“And in my view, Israel really needs to start making friends as opposed to alienating people in this way. I think that it’s an insult to Britain and I think it’s an insult to Parliament.”
Dame Emily added: “I think that they will rue the day that they did this to British parliamentarians. This is the first time that they’ve ever refused MPs access to the country. If Israel has something to hide, then that would be a terrible thing but frankly, they should be open to parliamentarians going to see what is actually happening on the ground.”
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