Labour MP quits top post after comments on Israel, Jews revealed

Labour MP Naz Shah steps down as a senior aide to the party’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell after her social media posts about Israel and Jews are revealed.

“I deeply regret the hurt I have caused by comments made on social media before I was elected as an MP,” the Jewish Chronicle quotes Shah as saying in a statement.

She adds that she “made these posts at the height of the Gaza conflict in 2014, when emotions were running high around the Middle East conflict. But that is no excuse for the offence I have given, for which I unreservedly apologize.

“In recognition of that offence, I have stepped down from my role as PPS [parliamentary private secretary] to the shadow chancellor John McDonnell. I will be seeking to expand my existing engagement and dialogue with Jewish community organisations and will be stepping up my efforts to combat all forms of racism, including antisemitism.”