Ian Austin nominated for peerage

The UK’s trade envoy to Israel, the former MP Ian Austin, has been nominated for a non-affiliated seat in the House of Lords.

The former Labour MP, whose adoptive father was a Jewish refugee, turned Independent last year citing a “culture of extremism, antisemitism and intolerance”.

Austin, who represented Dudley North from 2005 until 2019, described the peerage nomination as a “huge honour and a great privilege.”

“It is a great thing about our country that the son of a refugee who arrived here at the age of ten unable even to speak English is able to sit in the House of Lords. My only regret is that my parents are not here to see it,” Austin said.

“I promise I will use this platform to continue the fight against racism and extremism and to speak up on the issues I campaigned on in the Commons like improving education and bringing new jobs to areas that have lost their traditional industries, and continuing my work as the Government’s Trade Envoy to Israel,” he added.

Former Labour whip Frank Field is among the 36 names on the list, published on Friday.

The former MP for Birkenhead, stood as an independent in the December election after resigning the Labour whip in 2018, citing concerns over antisemitism and “nastiness” in the party.