MP Steve McCabe is new parliamentary chair of Labour Friends of Israel

"Together with my fellow officers in Parliament, I intend for LFI to be at the centre of that debate as well as helping to shape the discussion of how Labour should respond to the important changes occurring within the wider Middle East."

Mr McCabe is a long-standing parliamentary supporter of LFI and last visited Israel as part of a delegation in 2019. He was a shadow minister during Ed Miliband’s period as leader of the Labour Party.

Jennifer Gerber, the LFI’s director, said: “Steve McCabe is a well-respected and highly experienced member of the Parliamentary Labour party and LFI is delighted that he has agreed to become our chair.

“The new parliament and Labour leadership election offers the chance to turn the page on the virulent anti-Zionism of the Corbyn era and we intend to use it to help restore the party’s former reputation as a strong friend of Israel and advocate of a two-state solution.

“I would also like to take the opportunity of Steve’s appointment to once again pay tribute to former LFI chairs Dame Louise Ellman and Joan Ryan for the courage and principles they showed over the past five years.”