An anti-Israel Palestinian activist, who was suspended by the Labour Party over anti-Semitism allegations, was chosen to represent the UK on an official government trade mission to SE Asia.
The Department for International Trade told the Mail on Sunday a review into its vetting process is going ahead after the newspaper discovered that Sameh Habeeb, a former editor of the Palestine Telegraph, travelled to Indonesia and Malaysia in July to represent UK trade interests.
Department sources conceded Mr. Habeeb had slipped through the net and should not have been allowed on the mission, which promoted education.
In April, Mr Habeeb was suspended by Labour following remarks in an interview with a student newspaper that allegedly suggested the mainstream media was owned by Jews. The investigation is ongoing.
Sameh Habeeb founded and edited the Palestine Telegraph, a journal criticised for publishing conspiracy theories and elaborate tropes about Jews.
The paper also drew criticism for publishing an article which claimed the First and Second World Wars were planned “for the sake of a group following the dictates of Zionism.”
It added: “These Masters, controlled by such luminaries as the Rothschild Dynasty, have been working in the wings.”
Mr. Habeeb, 32, was put forward as a Labour council candidate in Northwood, West London, in April but quietly dropped by Labour after his views – and those of the newspaper – were made public.
He has since rejected allegations of anti-Semitism calling the suspension the “normal procedure” during Labour Party investigations. He also said he was on the “forefront in the fight against anti-Semitism” while working as a news editor.
Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: Follow @SunSimonKent or e-mail to: skent@breitbart.com
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