Tory leader Kemi Badenoch slammed for siding with Israel over UK MPs in deportation row
British politicians, including members of the government, have expressed outrage over Israel's detention and deportation of two Labour MPs over the weekend, treating the incident as an insult to the UK.
However, the Conservative leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch has backed Israel's move, leading to Foreign Secretary David Lammy's accusation that she was “cheerleading” for Israel.
Labour MPs Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang were detained by the Israeli authorities and deported on Saturday after trying to enter the country as part of a parliamentary delegation.
Israel claimed the parliamentarians, who said they were “astounded” by their deportation, were suspected of wanting to “document Israeli security forces and spread hateful rhetoric against Israel”.
The move triggered widespread outrage among Labour MPs, with Lammy himself condemning the move as “unacceptable, counterproductive and deeply concerning”.
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"I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support," the foreign secretary said.
Labour MP Imran Hussain said on Monday that Mohamed and Yang were "disgracefully detained".
He added: "This isn’t just an attack on them, it’s an attack on all parliamentarians who uphold international law."
Emily Thornberry, a senior MP and chair of the foreign affairs select committee which scrutinises foreign policy, condemned Israel's treatment of the parliamentarians as an "insult to our country and to parliament".
But the Conservative Party's Kemi Badenoch took a different approach.
'Our ally'
In an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, the Tory leader threw her support behind Israel's decision, arguing that "every country should be allowed to police its own borders".
The MPs were travelling to the occupied West Bank, which the UK government recognises as occupied Palestinian territory.
"If you look at the reasons why the Israeli government has given for why they’re not letting them in, they don’t believe that they’re going to comply with their laws," Badenoch added.
"MPs do not have diplomatic immunity. I believe that the people who represent us in parliament should be people who should be able to go anywhere in the world and people not be worried about what they’re going to do when they go into those countries."
She added: “Those Labour MPs, according to the Israelis, were coming in to do something that they were not allowed to do, and so I respect that decision.”
In response, Lammy took to social media platform X to slam Badenoch.
"It’s disgraceful you are cheerleading another country for detaining and deporting two British MPs," he said.
"Do you say the same about Tory MPs banned from China? This government will continue to stand up for the rights of our MPs to speak their mind, whatever their party."
'Israel is determined to prosecute its genocide of the Palestinian people and will not tolerate any observers'
- Andy McDonald MP
Badenoch hit back: "Unlike China, Israel is our ally and a democracy. A good Foreign Secretary would be able to make that distinction.
"Perhaps Labour MPs could put UK national interest first and do their jobs instead of campaigning for airports in Kashmir or promoting Hamas propaganda in parliament."
Thornberry dismissed Badenoch's arguments as "nonsense".
Labour MP Luke Murphy said it was "shocking" that "someone who purports to want to be the next prime minister can’t bring herself to defend two MPs from the UK parliament and has instead joined in an attempt to smear their reputations".
Andy McDonald, another Labour MP, said: "It is crystal clear that Israel is determined to prosecute its genocide of the Palestinian people and will not tolerate any observers, parliamentarian or otherwise, and certainly no outside media."
MPs critical of Israel
Mohamed and Yang said on Sunday: "Parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons without fear of being targeted."
They added: "We had come on an MPs' delegation to visit humanitarian aid projects and communities in the West Bank with UK charity partners who have over a decade of experience in taking parliamentary delegations."
The Council for Arab-British Understanding, which co-organised the delegation with Medical Aid for Palestinians, said: "When questioned, the group was clear, open and transparent about the aims and objectives of the visit, which included visiting a range of projects run by humanitarian and development organisations operating in the West Bank.
"The group had informed the UK Consul General in Jerusalem of their visit and was planning to meet with them as part of the itinerary."
Since they were elected in 2024, both Mohamed and Yang have been vocal critics of Israel's war on Gaza, making multiple parliamentary interventions over the issue.
Mohamed, who represents Sheffield Central, is a member of the foreign affairs select committee, which scrutinises the Foreign Office, and went on a trip to Israel in early March.
That visit ended in controversy after Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel posted a video of the British parliamentarians online without their "knowledge or consent", according to committee chair and senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry.
Mohamed initiated a cross-party letter in February signed by 61 MPs and lords, calling for a ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The letter noted the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion last July that states must not "render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation" caused by Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory - an occupation the ICJ said was illegal.
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