Labour has re-admitted MP Kate Osamor, who was suspended after she used Holocaust Memorial Day to claim Gaza is being subjected to a genocide.
Labour has confirmed this afternoon that they have returned the whip to the Edmonton MP, who used the sombre day to say there is an “international duty” to remember victims of the Holocaust, as well as “more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and now Gaza”.
Despite subsequently tweeting an apology, Labour’s chief whip stripped her of the party whip, meaning she has sat as an independent MP since January.
Ms Osamor was administratively suspended from Labour after she made the controversial comments.
She has now been re-admitted, having received a formal written warning.
However the move to welcome her back into the Labour Party will compound controversy, sparked by Sir Keir Starmer, to allow Tory MP Natalie Elphicke to defect this lunchtime.
Many onlookers have criticised Sir Keir’s embrace of the hard-right Tory MP, with NEC member Mish Rahman describing it as “an absolute disgrace and a new low for Starmer”.
He asked: “Is Starmer’s Labour now a safe haven for any defecting racist Tory who want to stop the boats, more Rwanda flights and join in with the abuse of black England players after missing a penalty?”
The Guardian now reports that the decision to re-admit Ms Osamor could prove a further headache for Sir Keir, with a “senior Labour figure” claiming the Whips’ office has ignored outstanding complaints made to the party about her.
Another Labour MP demanded to know why Kate Osamor had been investigated and readmitted in just four months, while Diane Abbott has remained suspended and under investigation for more than a year.
The MP told the paper: “Why have they [Osamor and Abbott] suffered worse treatment than their white male counterparts?”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The chief whip has today restored the Labour whip to Kate Osamor MP. This follows a full investigation by the Labour party into complaints received about a social media post she made in January.”
Osamor added: “I am grateful to the Labour Party for their investigation into my conduct and I accept the outcome in full. I want to unreservedly apologise again for my comments. I made remarks which were insensitive, inappropriate, and which I apologise for and regret.
“I will continue to reach out to Jewish stakeholders and the community. I am committed to ensuring that I don’t fall short of the highest standards.
“I look forward to continuing to represent my constituents of Edmonton in Westminster as a Labour MP.”
