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<\/p>\nA Labour frontbencher repeatedly dodged questions on David Lammy sharing a platform with a Palestinian diplomat who said the attack by Hamas on Israel was “coming their way” during a grilling by Kay Burley this morning.<\/p>\n
The Sky News host asked Pat McFadden eight questions about the Shadow Foreign Secretary being due to speak at a Labour Friends of Palestine reception tonight with Husam Zomlot, who is head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK.<\/p>\n
Burley probed Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator on whether Mr Lammy should appear at the fringe event at the party’s conference in Liverpool.<\/p>\n
Mr McFadden said: “I can only tell you about my conference diary where I will be joining the Labour Friends of Israel tonight in a vigil by the conference. We stood in silence in solidarity with the people of Israel yesterday at the conference.<\/p>\n
“And our position on this is very clear. This was a completely unwarranted attack to which Israel has the right to respond, to defend itself, to retrieve its people and use force to do so. Hamas will have known all this before they launched this attack.”<\/p>\n
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READ MORE: <\/strong> Labour MP says Britain trying to promote peace is ‘colonial mentality’<\/strong><\/p>\n Burley continued to press Mr McFadden, asking it it was appropriate for Mr Lammy to speak alongside the Palestinian diplomat.<\/p>\n After failing to get straight answers, she then said: “That’s not my question. Should he sit with a man that has made these comments?”<\/p>\n The Labour MP replied: “The shadow foreign secretary has the same view as me which is that this was a completely unwarranted attack, that Israel has a right to respond, to defend itself and to retrieve the hostages who have done no one any harm and have been taken into the Gaza strip against their will.”<\/p>\n Burley asked: “Why won’t you answer my question?”<\/p>\n Mr McFadden said: “Because David Lammy and I are of the same view of this which is the view I’ve outlined three of four times.”<\/p>\n The Sky News presenter pressed: “Just answer my question. What do you think?”<\/p>\n The Labour politician said: “I think what I’ve said to you three or four times which is that we stand with the people of Israel, that’s what we did yesterday, we stand with the innocent victims of this.”<\/p>\n Burley then said she was going to put her question a “different way”, asking if Mr Lammy should be disciplined.<\/p>\n She shook her head as Mr McFadden responded: “David Lammy will set out the same view that I’m setting out to you.<\/p>\n “He doesn’t speak for anyone other than the Labour Party, I speak for the Labour Party and our view is very clear.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n “There are plenty of people who want a better life for the Palestinians, I understand that, I want a better life for the Palestinians.<\/p>\n “But it will not be achieved by the kind of terrible, unwarranted attack that was launched on Saturday.<\/p>\n “In fact Palestinian people will suffer as a result of the unwarranted attack and all of this was known to Hamas before they launched that attack and what they should do now is return every one of those hostages today.”<\/p>\n Burley finished by asking if Mr Lammy should use the event to criticise the Palestinian diplomat over his comments.<\/p>\n Mr McFadden said: “On any platform where the shadow foreign secretary is on he will set out our position that this was a completely unwarranted attack. Of course the shadow foreign secretary will say that.<\/p>\n “That’s his view, it’s the view of Keir Starmer, it’s the view of the Labour Party. We stand with Israel, they have a right to respond to this. In any public forum the shadow foreign secretary is speaking in he will make our position very clear.”<\/p>\n The Labour conference began on Sunday a day after Hamas terrorists launched an attack on Israel which has killed hundreds of people.<\/p>\n Mr Zomlot told CNN on Saturday: “Israel knew that this was coming their way… It’s a consequence.”<\/p>\n