MP broke rules at Maccabi hearing by not declaring husband
A Labour MP broke parliamentary rules by failing to declare that she was married to a witness who appeared before her at a committee hearing.
Labour Friends of Israel member Jo White did not say that Lord John Mann was her husband when he gave evidence to MPs last month about a ban on Israeli football fans.
Mann, who is the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, was critical of police for stopping Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending a match against Aston Villa.
White did not ask Mann any questions during the home affairs committee session, later claiming this was to avoid conflicts of interest.
However parliament’s standards commissioner ruled on Wednesday that White had breached Westminster rules on transparency.
In a letter to White, Watchdog Daniel Greenberg [said][1]: “The complainant has suggested that ‘the complete absence of questioning may reasonably give the appearance of unequal treatment or avoidance of scrutiny’…
“I agree with that, and do not agree with your suggestion that by not asking any questions you avoided the requirement for a declaration.
“The overall aim of declaring interests is openness and transparency: whether you asked any questions or not, the public were entitled to be made aware of the close family relationship between you, a committee member, and Lord Mann, a witness giving evidence to your committee.”
## ‘Frenzy’
Greenberg is also investigating whether a second Labour MP on parliament’s home affairs committee, Peter Prinsley, has broken transparency rules.
The nature of this investigation has not been made public but it could relate to Prinsley omitting that he had [received][2] £2,600 from Labour Friends of Israel.
Prinsley has already been [reprimanded][3] once for failing to properly declare this donation which he received for a trip to Israel in May 2025.
The committee hearing was dominated by MPs criticising West Midlands police chief constable Craig Guildford for banning Maccabi fans.
The club’s hooligans have close links to Israel’s army and have been involved in violent attacks on Muslims at matches in Europe.
Guildford was forced into early retirement over his decision to ban their fans amid accusations he gave incomplete evidence to the committee.
A probe by the police watchdog cleared Guildford of antisemitism but criticised the chief constable for “confirmation bias”.
Guildford [said][4] he stood down following a “political and media frenzy”. Three other MPs on the committee had links to pro-Israel groups.
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## Labour MP broke rules over Israel trip
][5] [READ MORE **][6]
## Ministerial code
Greenberg’s decision comes as *Declassified* [revealed][7] this week that trade secretary Peter Kyle has not declared his membership of Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) in the official List of Ministerial Interests.
Kyle is responsible for government policy on arms exports.
Seven other ministers have declared their membership of LFI, a lobby group which is at odds with Labour’s stance on recognition of Palestine and a partial weapons embargo.
The ministerial code says members of the government must declare relevant interests and not belong to groups that conflict with official policy.
The prime minister’s independent advisor on ministers’ interests, Sir Laurie Magnus, has not investigated the matter.
The post [MP broke rules at Maccabi hearing by not declaring husband][8] appeared first on [Declassified UK][9].
[2]: http://www.declassifieduk.org/friends-of-israel-trip-not-declared-by-labour-politicians/
[3]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/labour-mp-broke-rules-over-israel-trip/
[5]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/?post_type=post&p=60395
[6]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/?post_type=post&p=60395
[7]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/trade-secretary-accused-of-egregious-rules-breach-over-israel-links/
[8]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/mp-broke-rules-at-maccabi-hearing-by-not-declaring-husband/
[9]: https://www.declassifieduk.org
https://www.declassifieduk.org/mp-broke-rules-at-maccabi-hearing-by-not-declaring-husband/