Labour has restored the whip to an MP it suspended over comments he made at a pro-Palestinian rally in October.
Andy McDonald was suspended for remarks the party called “deeply offensive”.
But the Middlesbrough MP will now again be able to sit as a Labour MP in the Commons, rather than as an independent.
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It comes as calls grow among Diane Abbott supporters for her to receive the whip back after she was denied the chance to speak in the Commons about comments a Tory donor reportedly made about her.
A Labour spokesperson said the whip had been restored to Mr McDonald after its investigation found “he had not engaged in conduct that was against the party’s rulebook”.
However, it said he had been “reminded” about the “importance of elected representatives being mindful, not only of what they say in public, but how their words may be interpreted, especially in reference to controversial or emotive issues”.
Mr McDonald said it was “never my intention” to use language that would cause distress and that he “bitterly regret(s)” the “pain and hurt caused”.
“Accordingly, I will not use that phrasing again,” his statement said.
“I will continue to denounce the abominations of antisemitism and Islamophobia wherever they raise their ugly heads. These are key reasons why I joined the Labour Party 45 years ago,” he added.
Mr McDonald was suspended after attending a pro-Palestinian rally last year at which he said: “We won’t rest until we have justice.
“Until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea, can live in…
