Dame Louise Ellman, the former Labour MP who left the party over its failure to tackle antisemitism when it was led by Jeremy Corbyn and rejoined in 2021, has this week joined a delegation of prospective parliamentary candidates to Israel.

The delegation, which includes candidates standing in constituencies with thousands of Jewish voters, is being organised by Labour Friends of Israel (LFI).

Dame Louise told the JC she was “delighted” to be present, and was “heartened by the continued progress Labour has made back to re-building ties with the Jewish community and returning to its historic position as a friend of Israel and honest broker on the Middle East”.

None of the delegates had visited the region before. “They will have benefitted hugely from this experience, coming away with a much deeper understanding of the complexities of Israel and the wider region that will prepare them well for Parliament,” Dame Louise said.

Western Wall

The delegation at the Western Wall (Photo: Handout)

Among the delegates are Dan Tomlinson, who is standing for the party in Chipping Barnet, Primesh Patel (Harrow East) and Graham Downie (Dunfermline and West Fife). During the week they are set to visit sites including Yad Vashem, the Old City of Jerusalem, the Gaza border region and a Palestinian refugee camp.

They are meeting senior Israeli and Palestinian politicians and officials.

Leading the group is Washington and Sunderland West MP Sharon Hodgson. She told the JC: “I’m delighted to be leading LFI’s largest ever delegation of parliamentary candidates to Israel this week. It is also fantastic to be joined by Louise.

“This trip will allow Labour candidates to experience a deep and broad introduction to Israel and the wider Middle East. LFI has always believed that enabling Labour politicians to witness Israel’s security challenges for themselves, reaffirm ties with our sister Israeli Labour Party, and renew the longstanding friendship between the Labour Party and the Jewish state, is key to ensuring political debate around Israel in the UK remains well-informed and balanced.”