Labour MP broke rules over Israel trip

A Labour MP has been found in breach of parliamentary rules, after failing to declare an all-expenses-paid trip to Israel.

Declassified previously revealed how Peter Prinsley joined a “solidarity” trip in May that was organised and funded by Labour Friends of Israel (LFI).

Parliament’s standards commissioner has now published a 13-page report on the MPs’ conduct, concluding that he broke transparency rules.

Prinsley apologised for the late declaration, which he blamed on an “administrative error” by one of his staff members.

The standards commissioner said: “Mr Prinsley accepted my decision and acknowledged and apologised for the breach of the Code.”

However, aside from issuing an apology, Prinsley’s only penalty is that his register of interests will be annotated “so it is clear that it has been the subject of an inquiry”.

During their trip to Israel, Labour MPs posed for photos with 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 of Palestinians living in Gaza: “It’s an entire nation out there that is responsible. This rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved, it’s absolutely not true.

“They could’ve risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime”. Herzog added: “We will fight until we break their backbone.”

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

LFI, which paid for the trip, is funded by anonymous donors and was described as a “lobbying organisation” by one of its former directors.

The group regularly takes MPs, peers and journalists on trips, which its chair has said are designed to “show solidarity”.

A separate investigation by the standards commissioner into Labour MP Cat Eccles – who also appears to have failed to declare her attendance on the trip within the official timeframe – is still active.

A third MP, Kevin McKenna, was also named by Declassified’s original report for failing to declare the trip. But the standards commissioner has yet to announce any inquiry against him, and has not explained why.

In June, Declassified revealed that the standards commissioner himself had previously voiced support for Israeli military action in Gaza. He also once implied that any Israeli who refused to serve in the IDF was “a coward and a parasite”.