Former Ilford South MP Mike Gapes rejoins Labour

Mike Gapes, who served as the Labour MP for Ilford South between 1992 and 2019 before joining Change UK in February of 2019, has rejoined the Labour Party.

Writing in the Times, Gapes announced his return to the party, saying he was “more enthusiastic about the party’s future than I have been in years”.

Gapes wrote: “On the big issues facing the country, Labour is once again aligned with the British public, rather than special interests”. He added “it is clear that Labour is a party worth voting for again.”

He commented that his decision to leave was “one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make”, but that “The change in the past few years has been profound

“The Labour Party is back on track. Watching from the outside, I have been incredibly impressed by the way Keir Starmer has relentlessly focused on making it once again a patriotic, serious party of mainstream Britain”.

Upon leaving Labour in 2019, Gapes said he was “sickened” that Labour was “perceived by many as a racist, antisemitic party”.

In his Times piece, Gapes said that it “was essential for Starmer to promise action to root out antisemitism. But the way he has taken personal responsibility for chasing it out of the party speaks to the firm, purposeful leadership he has shown”.

Responding to the news of Gapes’ readmission to the party, Keir Starmer said: “That Mike has rejoined our party shows how much we’ve changed our party to face the public, root out antisemitism, support business, be proud of our NATO membership.

“I know there is more to do so we can change our country and deliver our missions for a better Britain.”

In 2020 a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) into antisemitism in Labour found that there were “unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination for which the Labour Party is responsible”. Last month, it was announced that the Labour Party was no longer under investigation by the EHRC.

Writing in the Times to mark the conclusion of the investigation, Starmer said he was committed “to tearing antisemitism out by the roots, without fear or favour”.

Gapes’ return to the party follows that of fellow Change UK members Luciana Berger, the former Liverpool Wavertree MP, who announced her return last month, and former Penistone and Stocksbridge MP Angela Smith, who was reported to have returned in 2022.

Gapes contested Ilford South in 2019 as an independent, losing to the Labour candidate Sam Tarry. Tarry failed in his bid to be reselected to contest the seat for Labour in October of last year.

Redbridge council leader Jas Athwal, who was supported Ilford North MP Wes Streeting, defeated Tarry by 499 votes to 361.

Gapes unsuccessfully contested Ilford North in 1983 before being elected to the commons in 1992 to represent Ilford South. He was a member of the defence and liaison committees, and chair of the foreign affairs select committee between 2005 and 2010.