Labour Friends of Israel congratulates Lisa Nandy on shadow cabinet appointment

Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) has congratulated Lisa Nandy on her new appointment as shadow foreign secretary.

Labour’s new leader Keir Starmer gave the foreign brief to his former leadership rival, who is the chair of the parliamentary group Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East.

He dismissed key allies of his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn including John McDonnell, Baroness Chakrabarti, Diane Abbott, Richard Burgon and Barry Gardiner.

Reacting to the news of her appointment on Monday, Nandy said it was a “real honour to be tasked with leading Labour’s foreign policy response in these difficult times.”

LFI Director Jennifer Gerber joined others in the Labour movement, including Nandy’s predecessor in the role, in congratulating the MP for Wigan on her appointment.

“We look forward to working with you to support progressives in Israel and Palestine, working towards a two-state solution and returning Labour to a balanced foreign policy position. This work is vital,” she said.

Nandy, whose leadership bid was backed by the Jewish Labour Movement, was praised for her performance at communal hustings in February in which she described herself as a Zionist and also criticised the party’s handling of antisemitism.

The MP endorsed three pledges put forward by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign shortly after the hustings. The commitments included a promise to oppose any middle-east peace plan not comprising Palestinians’ right “to self determination and to return to their homes.”

Her appointment was welcomed by the Jewish Labour Movement’s national chair Mike Katz, who said she had “impressed” members during the nomination process. “We look forward to working with her in her new role,” he added.