Lord Austin, a former Labour MP who quit the party over anti-Semitism and sits as an independent peer, said Sir Keir deserved “credit” for his action.
He told The Telegraph: “This is the right decision. People want to see him doing the right thing instead of backing down in the face of internal criticism.”
Mr McDonald had earlier insisted he was making a “call for peace” and said accusations that his language was anti-Semitic were “baseless and harmful”.
“As I said at Saturday’s rally in London, it is time for political leaders everywhere to call out the crimes against humanity that are being perpetrated in Gaza,” he said. “There is a concerted campaign to silence those who are speaking out. We must and will not be intimidated.”
John McDonnell, who was the shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn, defended Mr McDonald, saying: “He turned a slogan some are concerned about into a peace plea. This isn’t just unjust, it is absolutely nonsensical. It was a brilliant way of turning something that some misinterpreted as a negative into a positive contribution.”
Mick Whitley, the Labour MP for Birkenhead, added: “The decision to suspend the whip from Andy McDonald for calling for an equitable and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike is a grotesque error of judgement on the part of my party’s leadership.”
It came as Afzal Khan, the shadow exports minister, hit out at Suella Braverman for describing pro-Palestine rallies as “hate marches”.
The Manchester MP said: “Hundreds of thousands of people have been protesting against the indiscriminate killing of thousands of innocent Palestinians. Braverman labelling these as ‘hate marches’ is disingenuous, dangerous and deeply contradictory to the right we all hold to protest.”
Mr Khan also published an open letter to his constituents on Monday in which he renewed his calls for Sir Keir to U-turn and back a ceasefire. He wrote that Israel’s decision to cut off supplies such as fuel and water to Gaza risked “igniting a humanitarian crisis and may amount to war crimes”.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, also hit out at Mrs Braverman over her “careless rhetoric” which she suggested would sow division and “make the job of the police much harder”.
She said: “Anti-Semitic and Islamophobic hate crime and the glorification of terrorism need to face the full force of the law. At the same time work is needed to rebuild community cohesion, to recognise the distress people are feeling about the Hamas attacks and the humanitarian emergency in Gaza, and to pull communities together at this difficult time.”
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
