Former Hyndburn MP Graham Jones breaks silence on ‘dark days’ as his suspension is lifted

A former Labour parliamentary candidate said Worklist his relief that his party membership had reportedly been restored after “dark days” and a “personal crisis” resulting from his suspension for alleged comments on the war between Israel and Hamas.

Graham Jones was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the Hyndburn general election after being deposed as MP for the constituency in 2019.

However, Jones was expelled from the party in February over alleged comments on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, just days after Labour suspended its candidate for the Rochdale by-election. The Jewish Labour Movement described remarks Jones allegedly made at a meeting as “appalling and unacceptable”.

After Rishi Sunak called a general election last week, Labour opened the selection process for Hyndburn, suggesting Jones would not be the party’s candidate for the seat on July 4.

However, in a post on his Facebook page on Tuesday, Jones stated: “My suspension from the Labour Party has been lifted.” The post was received positively by dozens of supporters.

Jones said Worklist: “I am so relieved that this has happened. It was a long time ago and I am grateful to the Labour Party staff who have completed this thorough investigation.

“I would like to thank friends, colleagues and others who have supported me through this personal crisis. In particular Tom Watson, Tom Blenkinsop and especially the people at the Jewish Chronicle and Labour Against Anti-Semitism with whom I have had long discussions.

“When Ed Balls expressed his support for me on national television, I burst into tears. No one has ever supported me so much in my life. And there are so many others in Westminster who have stood by me and supported me.

“I have been happy to share the full record as far and wide as possible so that people can make up their own minds. The people of Hyndburn have also been tremendously supportive. From the CLP who unanimously gave me their support last week, to ordinary people who have come to our office in large numbers or stopped me on the street to offer me their support.

“I am eternally grateful to everyone. It was a terrible experience and this personal support helped me through some dark days and I just wanted to say thank you again.”

On Facebook, the Constituency Labour Party in Hyndburn announced that its members had recently “unanimously decided” to send a letter of support for Jones.

In the post, the local party said: “Graham has been a dedicated and passionate advocate for our party and our community and we believe it is vital that we stand by him during this difficult time, just as he has done for us.”

“Our collective support is a testament to the strength and unity of our local party.”

The Labour Party did not respond to a request for comment on whether Jones had been reinstated.

The development raises questions about whether Jones has any chance of being reinstated as Labour’s candidate. Labour and Jones have been contacted for further comment.

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