‘Friends of Israel’ trip not declared by Labour politicians

Three MPs have failed to declare an all-expenses-paid trip funded by Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), Declassified can reveal.

The group is funded by anonymous donors and was described as a “lobbying organisation” by one of its former directors.

Records show that it took five Labour MPs on a five-day trip in May to “show solidarity”, costing up to £2,600 per person. They were joined by Labour peer Luciana Berger.

During the visit, the MPs posed for photos with the Israeli president Isaac Herzog, whose genocidal comments have been cited in an International Court of Justice report. Speaking after the October 7 attack, Herzog said that an “entire nation” was responsible.

The delegation of Labour MPs also met Israeli deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel, leader of the opposition Yair Lapid and IDF reserve major general Yair Golan.

Golan has previously said that starvation in Gaza is “completely legitimate”, but has since condemned the IDF for killing babies “as a hobby”.

Two of the MPs on the trip – Jon Pearce and Mark Sewards – have already declared the trip in the Register of Interests.

But the strict deadline for declaration appears to have been missed by the other MPs, Cat Eccles, Kevin McKenna and Peter Prinsley.

Eccles even referenced her visit while speaking in parliament, saying “I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ financial Interests”. However, the register did not include any mention of the visit.

In a statement following the delegation, LFI chair Jon Pearce said: “It’s more important than ever for British Members of Parliament to visit Israel and Palestine to show solidarity and hear directly from people on the ground.”

He added: “We left the region more convinced than ever of the need to secure the release [of] the remaining 58 hostages, massively increase humanitarian aid into Gaza, and see Hamas relinquish control of Gaza.”

When questioned by Declassified, a Labour Party spokesperson said: “Due to an administrative error, attendance at this delegation was not declared on time, but all relevant declarations have now been made.”

The spokesperson did not explain how the same “administrative error” was made by all three MPs, and declined to comment on whether this claim was misleading.

Since October 2023, MPs have accepted more than £36,000-worth of trips from LFI, according to analysis by Declassified. This does not include the three MPs who have yet to declare the visit in May.

As chair of the organisation, Jon Pearce has been on three separate LFI-funded trips in the last six months.

Valued at £7,800 in total, they included trips to Washington DC and United Arab Emirates, as well as Israel and Palestine.

Damien Egan, Sharon Hodgson and Christian Wakeford have also each been on two LFI trips.