Andy McDonald had his suspension as a Labour MP lifted today after he agreed to not again use the phrase ‘between the river and the sea’.
The Middlesbrough MP had the party’s whip withdrawn in October last year after he used the controversial slogan at a pro-Palestinian rally.
It came just three weeks after the Hamas terror attacks in Israel on October 7, with Labour at the time branding Mr McDonald’s remarks as ‘deeply offensive’.
But he has now been readmitted to the Labour parliamentary party following the conclusion of an internal investigation.
It found he had ‘not engaged in conduct that was against the party’s rulebook’, while Mr McDonald said he ‘bitterly regrets the pain and hurt caused’.
The former shadow minister, who had sat as an independent MP while the probe took place, said his use of the phrase was part of a ‘heartfelt plea’ for peace in the Middle East.
Andy McDonald had the Labour whip withdrawn in October last year after he used the controversial phrase ‘between the river and the sea’ at a pro-Palestinian rally
The 66-year-old, who served as a shadow minister under ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, also used the slogan on social media as he posted a video of his speech
Mr McDonald, pictured with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in April last year, said he ‘bitterly regrets the pain and hurt caused’
A Labour Party spokesperson 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 phrase ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ has regularly been chanted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators during recent marches over the ongoing Gaza crisis.
It is a reference to a Palestinian state stretching from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean.
But it is considered controversial as it is interpreted by some as a call for the destruction or erasure of the Jewish state of Israel.
After having the Labour whip restored, Mr McDonald said in a statement: ‘I am grateful to the Chief Whip for the restoration of the Labour Party whip.
‘And to all those who have supported me whilst I have been suspended, in particular the members of my Middlesbrough Constituency Party.
‘I am pleased that the investigation found I had not breached the rules of the party.
‘Nevertheless, I am always acutely conscious of the power of the language used by elected representatives and the need to be mindful of what others hear when discussing sensitive and complex issues.
‘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.
‘I was disappointed that the reason for my suspension was misreported in some quarters and that this has caused reputational damage to myself and further pain and suffering to others.
‘I will continue to denounce the abominations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia wherever they raise their ugly heads. These are key reasons why I joined the Labour Party 45 years ago.
‘I am now glad that I am able to focus all my efforts and energies on campaigning to secure the Labour government that our country so desperately needs.’
During a rally in central London on 28 October, Mr McDonald used the phrase ‘between the river and the sea’ as he made a speech urging peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
He 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.’
The 66-year-old, who served as a shadow minister under ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, also repeated the comments on social media as he posted a video of his speech.
Mr McDonald is among a series of MPs and parliamentary candidates to have been stripped of party support over remarks made in relation to the Israel-Hamas war.
Kate Osamor had the Labour whip withdrawn in January after she appeared to say the Gaza war should be remembered as genocide on Holocaust Memorial Day, before apologising for her comments.
Labour also withdrew its backing for its former Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali, after he allegedly suggested Israel used Hamas’s October 7 attack as a pretext to invade Gaza and blamed ‘people in the media from certain Jewish quarters’ for Mr McDonald’s suspension.
The party removed its backing for Graham Jones, its candidate for Hyndburn, after it was reported that he had used the words ‘f****** Israel’ at the same meeting attended by Mr Ali.