Lammy: Israel's barring of two British MPs is not acceptable

'I have made it clear to the Israeli government this is no way to treat British parliamentarians' David Lammy Foreign secretary

- Nadeem Badshah Haroon Siddique

The UK's foreign secretary has criticised Israeli authorities for denying two Labour MPs entry into the country and deporting them.

Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed were barred because they were suspected of planning to "document the activities of security forces and spread anti-Israel hatred", according to a statement from the Israeli immigration ministry cited by Sky News and Politics UK.

Yang, who represents Earley and Woodley in Berkshire, and Mohamed, the MP for Sheffield Central, flew into Ben Gurion airport from Luton with their aides on Saturday, according to reports. They said they were part of an MPs' delegation visiting humanitarian aid projects in the West Bank with UK charity partners. The pair were on their way back to the UK yesterday, according to the chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones.

The foreign secretary, David Lammy, said in a statement on Saturday: "It is unacceptable, counterproductive and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities.

"I have made it clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support.

"The UK government's focus remains securing a return to the ceasefire and negotiations to stop the bloodshed, free the hostages and end the conflict in Gaza."