Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, is in Israel in an effort to build bridges after allegations of antisemitism within the party.

He and a group of MPs, including the former chief whip Rosie Winterton, have accepted an invitation from Israel’s Labor party. It follows Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to turn down a similar invitation in April because of “diary commitments”.



The delegation, which also includes Ruth Smeeth, Gloria De Piero and Michael Dugher, toured the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum on Tuesday, and will also visit the Palestinian territories.

Corbyn received a furious letter from Isaac Herzog, leader of the Israeli Labor party, in April, after the former London mayor Ken Livingstone made controversial remarks about Adolf Hitler and Zionism.

Herzog said he was “appalled” by Livingstone’s assertion that when Hitler won his 1932 election, “his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel”. After suspending Livingstone from the party, Corbyn was invited by Herzog to Yad Vashem “to witness that the last time the Jews were forcibly transported it was not to Israel but to their deaths”.

Corbyn did not reply for several weeks, but officials told the Observer he had told Herzog his diary was full. However, the Labour leader said he would send Watson or Labour’s general secretary, Iain McNicol, in November.

Watson said: “I wanted to come back to Israel and the Palestinian territories to pay respects on behalf of the UK Labour party at Yad Vashem. We remembered those who died in the Holocaust and renewed our determination to fight racism and antisemitism – whatever form it takes and wherever it exists.

“I am also looking forward to meeting Herzog and other members of our sister party.”

In June, Shami Chakrabarti, chair of Labour’s antisemitism inquiry set up by Corbyn after the Livingstone episode, concluded the party was not overrun by antisemitism. There were further party tensions when Chakrabarti was recommended by Corbyn for a peerage.

McNicol is understood to be planning to visit Israel in January.

