The Liberal Democrats have insisted they have not reinstated former MP David Ward, who was expelled amid an antisemitism row, despite media reports saying they had.
Mr Ward, who represented Bradford East between 2010 and 2015, was expelled from the Lib Dems in 2017 after accusing Jews of “inflicting atrocities on Palestinians”.
The Bradford Telegraph & Argus reported on Thursday that he had been allowed to re-join the party, after his application was backed by the Bradford and Yorkshire Lib Dem groups.
But a party spokesperson denied this, saying: “David Ward is not a member of the Liberal Democrats and was previously expelled from the party for bringing it into disrepute.”
Mr Ward is listed as the deputy leader of the Lib Dems on the Bradford Metropolitan District Council's website.
When asked how long Mr Ward has sat with the group in the chamber, Brendan Stubbs, the Bradford Lib Dem chief whip, told the JC he “didn’t know”.
Mr Ward admitted to the JC that he is not in fact a member, but claimed all obstacles to his readmission had been cleared.
He said his application was approved by both the Bradford and Yorkshire Lib Dems but it was blocked by the Regional Parties Committee, which oversees compliance, members' conduct and disciplinary action.
Its objection was overturned at a hearing on January 24, meaning Mr Ward is free to apply to have his full membership reinstated, he claimed.
He said he had sat with the council's Lib Dems for “over a year” but is technically still an independent .
After losing his seat to Labour in 2015, Mr Ward had intended to run as a Liberal Democrat in Bradford East.
But then-leader Tim Farron intervened to block his candidacy in the 2017 snap general election.
Mr Ward ran as an independent candidate and finished third, winning 2,700 more votes than the Lib Dem candidate.
The dispute with the party hierarchy revolved around a blog post in which he equated Jewish suffering in the Holocaust with Israel’s conduct towards Palestinians.
He wrote he was “saddened that the Jews, who suffered unbelievable levels of persecution during the Holocaust, could within a few years of liberation from the death camps, be inflicting atrocities on Palestinians”.
He subsequently apologised for the “unintended offence” but caused further controversy by asking whether he could make the same remarks again using the term “Jewish community” instead of “the Jews”.
