It was about censorship, says MP denied entry to Israel

Abtisam Mohamed has said the Israeli government's decision to stop her and fellow Labour MP Yuan Yang from entering the country was "about censorship and control".

Mohamed and Yang had been travelling to Israel and the occupied West Bank as part of a parliamentary delegation but were detained at the airport on Saturday before flying back to the UK to following day.

In a statement to MPs, Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer said he believed it was the first time a British MP had been barred from entering Israel.

He said their treatment had been "unacceptable and deeply concerning" and was "no way to treat democratically elected representatives of a close partner nation".

On Saturday, the Israeli embassy in London said its country would "not allow the entry of individuals or entities that act against the state and its citizens".

It said Mohamed and Yang had "accused Israel of false claims" and were "actively involved in promoting sanctions against Israeli ministers".

Mohamed and Yang received support from Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry, who said their treatment was "an insult to our Parliament".

However, Conservative Bob Blackman noted that there had been instances of the UK "refusing to admit elected politicians who wanted to come to this country".

The DUP's Sammy Wilson accused Labour MPs of displaying "faux outrage" and said that some in their party had in the past campaigned to exclude US President Donald Trump from coming to the UK.