Graham Jones was suspended as the 2024 general election candidate for Hyndburn after a recording emerged of him referring to “f**king Israel” and saying Britons who volunteer to fight for the Israel Defence Force (IDF) “should be locked up”.
Jones had his suspension lifted in May last year after former Labour minister Ed Balls said his ex-colleague was “absolutely not anti-Israel”. However, he did not go forward as the Hyndburn candidate in the general election.
A Labour source said: “Lifting the suspension is one thing, allowing him to stand is another entirely.”
Friends said they had advised him against standing after he received a letter from senior levels of the party to persuade him to run.
At the time of his alleged remarks, the Jewish Labour Movement said Jones’ alleged comments were “appalling and unacceptable”.
“The Israel Defence Force is a recognised armed force and British nationals are both able to volunteer into the Israel Defence Force and eligible for national service.
Since Jones’ suspension and Labour’s subsequent election win, the Government halted some arms sales to Israel due to concerns about whether the country was complying with international humanitarian law in its offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
Downing Street has meanwhile indicated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he came to Britain after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against him and former defence secretary Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Ali apologised for his remarks, saying they had been “deeply offensive, ignorant, and false”.
Jones declined to comment.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “All candidate selections are conducted in line with the Labour Party’s rules and procedures.”
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