THE government’s “independent” adviser on political violence and disruption has received funding from pro-Israel groups while pushing for a crackdown on pro-Palestine protests,  Declassified UK revealed today.

Former Labour MP John Woodcock — ennobled as Lord Walney for backing Boris Johnson in the 2019 election — was assigned in 2021 to produce a report investigating “the extreme fringes on both ends of the political spectrum” in Britain.

Ahead of submitting the review, Lord Walney wrote in the Sun on Sunday that he is urging Britain’s political leaders to take a “zero-tolerance approach” to pro-Palestine and climate protesters.

He said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer should instruct their MPs and councillors “not to engage with anyone” from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign “until they get their house in order and cut the hate from their marches.”

Declassified UK raised questions about  Lord Walney’s ability to advise the government on issues related to Palestine.

During his time as a Labour MP, he was appointed chairman of Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) in 2011. He embarked on a trip funded by LFI, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Portland Trust the same year.

Lord Walney also accepted funding from the Australia-Israel Cultural Exchange during his time as an MP.

In January this year, while preparing to deliver his report concerning Palestine protests in Britain, Lord Walney visited Israel as part of a parliamentary delegation organised by the European Leadership Network, with flights and accommodation paid for by the organisation. He kept the trip under wraps and did not post about it on social media.

He was joined by Conservative MP Tom Hunt, who described it as a “solidarity mission.”