Lammy tough talk undermined as trade envoy flies to Israel
Lord Austin, who now sits as a non-affiliated peer in the House of Lords, has served as the UK's trade envoy since 2019. Earlier this year, he said he was 'delighted' to be reappointed by Sir Keir to represent the Labour Government.
'Hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs in the UK depend on trade and investment with Israel, and I'll be doing everything I can to help our brilliant team at the UK's embassy in Tel Aviv strengthen the relationship between our two great countries,' he told the Jewish Chronicle.
'Economic growth is the Government's number one mission and I'm looking forward to playing my part in supporting this vital work.'
Lord Austin quit Labour over its anti-Semitism crisis in 2019, accusing Jeremy Corbyn, the then leader, of presiding over a 'culture of extremism'. He was appointed to his trade envoy role by Baroness May a few months later.
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