Minister urged to apologise to British-Palestinian MP over peace plan comments

An MP has called for Foreign Office minister Andrew Murrison to apologise to British-Palestinian MP Layla Moran following a debate on a Middle East peace plan.

On Tuesday, US president Donald Trump unveiled a peace plan for Israel and Palestine alongside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which had no input from Palestinian leaders.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he believed the plan offers a two-state solution and urged Palestinian leaders to engage with it.

Following an urgent question in the Commons on the plan, Liberal Democrat Layla Moran, the first MP of British-Palestinian descent, quoted an interview Mr Johnson gave with the Jerusalem Post in March 2017 when he was foreign secretary.

In the article, Mr Johnson was quoted as saying: “What we are saying is that you have to have a two-state solution or else you have a kind of apartheid system. You have to go for a two-state approach, that is the long-standing position of the government.”

Ms Moran then asked: “This plan is not the basis for a viable two-state solution, so does he then accept that in (Mr Johnson’s) words these are baby steps towards an apartheid system that we should reject outright?”

Responding, Mr Murrison said: “Well, I think she needs to be a little bit careful with her language, if I may say so.”

Later, SNP MP Gavin Newlands called for Mr Murrison to apologise.

He said: “I think the minister telling the only British-Palestinian in this place to watch her language is actually regrettable and he should think on that and apologise.”