A LABOUR MP has had the whip suspended after she appeared to say the war in Gaza should be remembered as a genocide in a post about Holocaust Memorial Day.
Kate Osamor, the MP for Edmonton, has issued an apology for “any offence caused” by the eve of the day marking the Holocaust.
A Labour source confirmed the chief whip has now suspended the MP from the parliamentary party while an investigation takes place.
Osamor had shared a photograph of herself at a Holocaust Educational Trust event.
She wrote: “Tomorrow is Holocaust Memorial Day, an international day to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, the millions of other people murdered under Nazi persecution of other groups and more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and now Gaza.”
She later posted an apology message on Twitter/X and said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is a day to remember the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust and the genocides that have occurred since.
“I apologise for any offence caused by my reference on the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza as part of that period of remembrance.”
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Speaking to Sky News, shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said Osamor had met the chief whip to discuss her comments.
“What is happening in Gaza is clearly a humanitarian catastrophe that is recognised,” he said.
“But there are specific reasons why the Holocaust is considered as it is. It’s important on Holocaust Remembrance Day to remember that.
“And I understand Kate has apologised. There’s been a conversation with the chief whip. There’ll be further conversations next week, but of course we take anything in this space extremely seriously.”
Asked if the MP was likely to be disciplined, Reynolds (below) said: “There will be those conversations, and I can tell you that they have already been scheduled for the week ahead.
“Of course, whenever we have a situation like this, we take it extremely seriously.”
The former shadow development secretary, who previously served in Jeremy Corbyn’s top team, is the second Labour MP to apologise for remarks about the war in Gaza in the past week.
Tahir Ali accused Rishi Sunak of “having the blood of thousands of innocent people on his hands” over his response to the conflict.
The comments in the House of Commons prompted the Labour leadership to quickly distance itself from his position and Ali later posted an apology on social media.
“Earlier at PMQs I asked the Prime Minister about the actions of Israel in Gaza. This is obviously a deeply emotive issue,” he said.
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“While I do not resile from my strongly held views on the situation in the Middle East, I would like to apologise for the way in which I described the Prime Minister in my question.”
A Labour spokesman said: “That language is clearly inappropriate and not language we would support or endorse or believe should be used.”
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