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Jenny Tonge, Baroness Tonge
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{{Short description|British Independent politician, life peer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}} {{Use British English|date=August 2017}} {{pp-30-500|small=yes}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = The Baroness Tonge |honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]] |image = Official portrait of Baroness Tonge crop 2, 2019.jpg |office = [[Member of the House of Lords]]<br />[[Lords Temporal|Lord Temporal]] |term_start = 27 June 2005 |term_end = 19 February 2021<br />[[Life Peerage]] |office2 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] <br /> for [[Richmond Park (UK Parliament constituency)|Richmond Park]] |predecessor2 = Constituency established |party = [[Independent politician|Independent]] <small>(2016–present)</small> |otherparty = [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] <small>(1959<ref name="Kennedy281016">{{cite news|last=Kennedy|first=Dominic|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/jihad-jenny-quits-lib-dems-after-holocaust-row-503bgx5xd|title='Jihad Jenny' quits Lib Dems after Holocaust row|work=[[The Times]]|location=London|date=28 October 2016|access-date=11 May 2017}} {{subscription required}}</ref>–88)</small><br /> [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] <small>(1988–2012)</small><br />Independent Liberal Democrat<small> (2012–2016)</small> |successor2 = [[Susan Kramer, Baroness Kramer|Susan Kramer]] |birth_name = Jennifer Louise Smith |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1941|2|19|df=y}} |birth_place = [[Walsall]], England, UK |death_date = |death_place = |spouse = Keith Tonge <small>(m. 1964–2013, his death)</small> |children = 3 |alma_mater = [[University College London|University College, London]] |term_start2 = 2 May 1997 |term_end2 = 11 April 2005 }} '''Jennifer Louise Tonge, Baroness Tonge''' (''née'' '''Smith'''; born 19 February 1941) is a [[politician]] in the United Kingdom. She was [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Richmond Park (UK Parliament constituency)|Richmond Park]] in London from 1997 to 2005. In June 2005 she was made a [[life peer]] as '''Baroness Tonge''', of [[Kew]] in the [[London Borough of Richmond upon Thames]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=57687|page=8379|date=28 June 2005}}</ref> which entitled her to a seat in the [[House of Lords]]. Critical of Israel and vocal in support of the [[Palestinian cause]], controversial acts and comments led to accusations of [[anti-Semitism]] and to her eventual suspension from the Liberal Democrats group in the Lords in 2012, then her suspension and resignation from the party itself in October 2016. She sat as an [[Independent politician|independent]] in the Lords from 2012 until her retirement in 2021.<ref name="Sherwood">{{cite news|last=Sherwood|first=Harriet|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/27/jenny-tonge-quits-lib-dems-after-suspension-for-alleged-antisemitic-comments|title=Jenny Tonge quits Lib Dems after suspension for alleged antisemitic comments|work=The Guardian|date=27 October 2016|access-date=27 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/200/career|title=Baroness Tonge|publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]]|accessdate=21 February 2021}}</ref> ==Early life== Born in [[Walsall]], [[Staffordshire]]<!-- Do not change to West Midlands. Walsall was part of Staffordshire in 1941 when she was born -->, her parents were both [[schoolteacher]]s.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ja2IAAAAMAAJ&q=%22jenny+tonge%22+%22sidney+smith%22 Dod's Parliamentary Companion], Vacher Dod Publishing (via google.co.uk); accessed 6 November 2016.</ref> She attended [[Dudley Girls High School]] from 1951 to 1959. She trained to be a doctor at [[University College Hospital]], gaining an [[Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery|MB and BS]] in 1964. She is also MFFP (Membership of the Faculty of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care of the [[Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists|RCOG]]). She holds an honorary FFFP{{clarify|date=October 2018}}. From 1968–78, she worked in [[General practitioner|General Practice]] and [[Family planning|Family Planning]]. From 1980 to 1985, she worked as Senior Medical Officer in Women's Services in [[London Borough of Ealing|Ealing]]. She was a manager of Community Health Services in Ealing from 1992 to 1996.{{citation needed|date=November 2016}} Tonge was a councillor in the [[London Borough of Richmond upon Thames]] from 1981 to 1990, and served as chair of the Social Services Committee. She stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the [[Richmond and Barnes (UK Parliament constituency)|Richmond and Barnes]] constituency at the [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]]. It was considered to be the party's most winnable seat, but Tonge was not elected.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3424273.stm|work=BBC News|title=Profile: Jenny Tonge|date=23 January 2004}}</ref> ==Parliamentary career== ===Member of Parliament=== ====Election and PMQs==== In 1997, Tonge was elected to [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]], representing [[Richmond Park (UK Parliament constituency)|Richmond Park]]. While in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], she was Liberal Democrat spokesperson on International Development from 1997 to 2003, and then the party spokesperson for children from 2003 to 2004.<ref name="theyworkforyou">{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/peer/baroness_tonge|title=Baroness Tonge, former MP|publisher=theyworkforyou.com|access-date=18 January 2009}}</ref> In 2002, during the [[Emmanuel College, Gateshead#Creationism|Emmanuel College creationism controversy]], she asked [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]] if he was "happy to allow the teaching of creationism alongside Darwin's theory of evolution in state schools". Blair replied that he supported a "diverse school system", and praised the teachers at Emmanuel College for their commitments to "deliver[ing] better results for our children".<ref name="Wheen2005">{{cite book|author=Francis Wheen|title=How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World: A Short History of Modern Delusions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zFjebcPiBdwC&pg=PA110|date=6 July 2005|publisher=PublicAffairs|isbn=978-0-7867-2352-2|page=110}}</ref> Tonge was concerned about Blair's response, because it implied the government was "prepared to accept money from anybody, regardless of the doctrine or religious beliefs of the donor".<ref>{{cite news|last1=McKie|first1=Robin|last2=Bright|first2=Martin|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/mar/17/schools.religion|title=In the beginning|work=The Observer|date=17 March 2002|access-date=11 May 2017}}</ref> ====Visit to Gaza Strip (2003)==== In 2003, Tonge and [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] MP [[Oona King]] visited the [[Gaza Strip]]. At a subsequent press conference after their return, Tonge compared living conditions for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to conditions Jews had suffered in the [[Warsaw Ghetto]] during [[World War II]]. Tonge said "You are almost getting a situation like the Warsaw ghetto. People can't get in or out. They can't work, they can't sell anything. There is this gradual squeeze", adding "It was an [[Israel and apartheid|apartheid]] system." Tonge recommended economic sanctions be applied against Israel and for [[European Union]] or [[United Nations]] troops be sent to Gaza. Tonge and King claimed that an Israeli soldier wielding a grenade had confronted them when they tried to leave the Gaza Strip.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/jun/19/foreignpolicy.israel|title=MPs compare Gaza to Warsaw ghetto|work=[[The Guardian]]|agency=[[Press Association]]|date=19 June 2003|access-date=11 May 2017}}</ref> [[Yad Vashem]] museum chair Avner Shalev criticized Tonge and King for making the comparison with conditions under [[Nazi Party|Nazi]] rule.<ref>{{cite news|author= McGreal, Chris|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jun/23/israel.foreignpolicy |title=MP attacked for Nazi comparison|work=[[The Guardian]]|date= 22 June 2003|access-date=27 March 2025}}</ref> ====Palestinian suicide bombers (2004)==== In January 2004, Tonge was sacked as the Liberal Democrat children's spokeswoman by the [[Leader of the Liberal Democrats|party leader]], [[Charles Kennedy]]. At a pro-Palestinian parliamentary meeting, Tonge had said of [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] [[suicide bomber]]s: "If I had to live in that situation – and I say that advisedly – I might just consider becoming one myself". She repeated her comments on [[Sky News]], but added, "I do not condone suicide bombers, nobody can condone them".<ref>{{cite news|last=Rozenberg|first=Gabriel|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/mp-to-be-rebuked-over-terrorist-sympathy-cf0p5ntzfgm|title=MP to be rebuked over terrorist sympathy|date=23 January 2004|access-date=11 May 2017}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Tonge refused to apologise, commenting "I was just trying to say how, having seen the violence and the humiliation and the provocation that the Palestinian people live under every day and have done since their land was occupied by Israel, I could understand".<ref name="BBC230104">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3421669.stm|title=Tonge sacked over suicide comment|work=[[BBC News]]|date=23 January 2004|access-date=16 January 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Russell|first=Ben|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/lib-dem-mp-sacked-for-saying-she-could-have-been-suicide-bomber-574256.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412154902/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/lib-dem-mp-sacked-for-saying-she-could-have-been-suicide-bomber-574256.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 April 2010|title=Lib Dem MP sacked for saying she could have been suicide bomber|work=[[The Independent]]|date=24 January 2004}}</ref> Kennedy said her comments were "completely unacceptable" and "not compatible with Liberal Democrat party policies and principles", adding "there can be no justification, under any circumstances for taking innocent lives through terrorism".<ref name="BBC230104"/><ref name="Times230104">{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/lib-dem-mp-sacked-in-suicide-bomber-row-89cgm68dnxg|title=Lib Dem MP sacked in suicide bomber row|work=[[The Times]]|agency=PA News|date=23 January 2004|access-date=11 May 2017}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Tonge said that suicide bombers' actions are "appalling and loathsome" but that "we have to try and understand where they are coming from and understand the situation in which they live."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2004-01-23|title=Tonge sacked over bombing comments|url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2004/jan/23/liberaldemocrats.israel|access-date=2021-02-04|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-10-24|title=Tonge sacked from front bench over suicide comments|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tonge-sacked-from-front-bench-over-suicide-comments-75068.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208205003/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tonge-sacked-from-front-bench-over-suicide-comments-75068.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 February 2021|access-date=2021-02-04|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref> Tonge retired from the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] at the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 general election]],<ref name="theyworkforyou"/> and was made a [[life peer]] and member of the [[House of Lords]] later in the year.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/25863 | title=State - Crown Office | journal=[[The Edinburgh Gazette]] | date=2005-06-28 | number=25863 | access-date=2024-08-04}}</ref> ===Life peer=== ====Allegations about the Israel lobby (2006)==== Tonge remarked at a [[Liberal Democrat Party Conference|Liberal Democrat party conference]] fringe meeting in September 2006: "The pro-Israeli lobby has got its grips on the western world, its financial grips. I think they've probably got a grip on our party".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5366870.stm|title=Tonge condemned for Israel remark|work=BBC News|date=21 September 2006|access-date=11 May 2017}}</ref> In response, Liberal Democrat leader Sir [[Menzies Campbell]] wrote to Tonge, commenting that her unacceptable assertion had "clear anti-Semitic connotations".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6049386.stm|title=Rebuke for Peer's Israel remarks|work=BBC News|date=13 October 2006|access-date=19 December 2008}}</ref><ref name="BBC271106">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6186966.stm|title=Tonge 'in trouble' over comments|work=BBC News|date=27 November 2006|access-date=11 May 2017}}</ref> An all-party group of peers led by the former [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], [[George Carey]], said, in a letter to ''[[The Times]]'', that "the language deployed by Baroness Tonge, as a member of the House of Lords, was irresponsible and inappropriate".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/religion/article/offensive-words-fx8xkdr2xkd|title=Offensive words|work=[[The Times]]|date=23 September 2006|access-date=29 March 2010|location=London, UK|url-access=subscription }}</ref> At a later meeting at [[University of Edinburgh|Edinburgh University]] the following November, Tonge said that professors [[Stephen Walt]] and [[John Mearsheimer]]'s article "[[The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy]]" which appeared in the 23 March 2006 issue of the ''[[London Review of Books]]'' supported her assertion that the "Israel lobby had a disproportionate voice in Anglo-American foreign policy". She said her comments "were about the Israeli lobby in politics. They were a big distance from being about Jewishness or anti-Semitism".<ref name="BBC271106"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Conger|first=George|url=http://www.jpost.com/printarticle.aspx?id=42901|title=British baroness chastised for 'pro-Israel lobby' comments|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|date=28 November 2006|access-date=11 May 2017}}</ref> ====The Gaza strip and other issues (2008–10)==== In November 2008, Tonge visited the [[Gaza Strip]] again, this time with [[Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed|Lord Ahmed]], [[Clare Short]], and members of the [[European Parliament]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Sharp|first=Rob|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/short-boats-into-gaza-with-factfinding-mission-1006808.html|title=Short boats into Gaza with fact-finding mission|work=The Independent|date=10 November 2008}}</ref> From 8 January 2009 to 12 February 2010, Tonge was the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health. On 12 January 2009, Tonge asked in the House of Lords about investigations into alleged Israeli [[war crimes]] in the December 2009–January 2010 [[Gaza War (2008–09)|Gaza War]], saying:<blockquote>Is the Minister aware that Mrs Pillay, the new [[UN High Commissioner for Human Rights]], has spoken of war crimes being committed in Gaza? Will the Government, therefore, show leadership and call for the immediate—and I mean immediate—establishment by the [[United Nations Security Council]] of an independent fact-finding commission to Palestine to investigate all breaches of international law?<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?gid=2009-01-12a.1033.1|title= House of Lords debates|publisher=theyworkforyou.com|date=12 January 2009}}</ref></blockquote> In March 2009, Tonge joined a six-person delegation of British politicians which met with [[Hamas]] political leader [[Khaled Meshaal]] in [[Syria]]. Tonge told an interviewer that their goal was to force the British government to talk to Hamas and press the United States to do likewise. She stated: "You don't make peace by talking to your friends. You make peace by talking to your enemies", and said she knew that her meeting with Meshaal might be considered illegal and lead to her arrest. "That is one of the risks that you take", she said.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090630215511/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/03/15/uk.hamas.meetings/ "UK lawmakers aim to 'force' Hamas talks"], [[CNN]], 5 March 2009.</ref><ref>See also [https://web.archive.org/web/20161107155135/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-palestinians-hamas-britain-idUKTRE52D21Y20090314 MPs meet Hamas leader in Damascus], [[Reuters]], 14 March 2009 (note that attendees including Tonge are identified in photo credits).</ref> During the 2008–2009 [[Gaza War (2008–09)|Gaza War]], Tonge spoke at a London rally against the war, saying: "It is a disgusting, obscene outrage what is going on in Gaza". She said that eventually activists must look to "a full trade embargo and boycotting everything Israeli".<ref>[http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/jan2009/gzuk-j19.shtml Protests held in UK cities in solidarity with people of Gaza], [[World Socialist Web Site|wsws.org]], 19 January 2009.</ref> On 1 February 2010, ''[[The Palestine Telegraph]]'', of which Tonge was then a patron, published an article which made false claims<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/International/Haiti-organ-harvesting-claims-false|title=Haiti organ harvesting claims false|newspaper=The Jerusalem Post | Jpost.com |access-date=26 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3848105,00.html|title=Former British MP Tonge: Probe claims of IDF organ theft in Haiti|newspaper=Ynetnews |date=12 February 2010 |publisher=ynetnews.com|access-date=27 August 2016|quote=exploiting the horrible tragedy that has befallen Haiti to recycle false claims that IDF soldiers engage in organ trafficking....}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KOgLBAAAQBAJ|title=Drawing Fire: Investigating the Accusations of Apartheid in Israel|last=Pogrund|first=Benjamin|date=10 July 2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781442226845|page=185|quote=she gave credence to ugly, baseless rumors}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.adl.org/press-center/press-releases/miscellaneous/the-big-lie-of-israeli-organ.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/#.V8uPnCMrI4Y|title=The Big Lie Of Israeli 'Organ Harvesting' Resurfaces As YouTube Video On Haiti Earthquake Goes Global|website=ADL|access-date=4 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://antisemitism.org.il/article/17416/usa-%25E2%2580%2593-israelis-stealing-organs-haiti|title=CFCA - USA – 'Israelis stealing organs in Haiti'|website=antisemitism.org.il|access-date=4 September 2016}}</ref> that an [[Israel Defence Forces]] emergency aid hospital in [[Haiti]] (deployed in the aftermath the [[2010 Haiti earthquake]]) was secretly [[Organ harvesting|harvesting organs]] and selling them on the black market, based partly on a report made on [[Hezbollah]]'s Al-Manar television which cited a [[YouTube]] video produced by a group called AfriSynergy Productions. The video did not cite any evidence, nor did it portray any actual organ removal.<ref>Stephen Lendman, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100223030310/http://www.paltelegraph.com/opinions/views/3938-focus-on-israel-harvesting-haitian-organs-by-stephen-lendman Focus on Israel: "Harvesting Haitian organs?"]}}, ''[[The Palestine Telegraph]]'', 1 February 2010.</ref><ref name=JC20100211>Simon Rocker and Martin Bright, [http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/27070/tonge-investigate-idf-stealing-organs-haiti "Tonge: Investigate IDF stealing organs in Haiti"], ''[[The Jewish Chronicle]]'', 11 February 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3848105,00.html "Former British MP Tonge: Probe claims of IDF organ theft in Haiti"], Ynetnews.com, 12 February 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.jpost.com/International/Haiti-organ-harvesting-claims-false Haiti organ harvesting claims false] by Jonny Paul, ''[[Jerusalem Post]]'', 14 February 2010.</ref> She later resigned as a patron of ''The Palestine Telegraph'' after it published a video of an interview with American [[Neo-Nazism|neo-Nazi]] [[David Duke]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Elgot|first=Jessica|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/tonge-quits-palestine-telegraph-over-kkk-video-1.15169|title=Tonge quits Palestine Telegraph 'over KKK video|work=The Jewish Chronicle|date=22 April 2010|access-date=31 March 2018}}</ref> On 11 February, ''[[The Jewish Chronicle]]'' published an article containing a statement by Tonge which congratulated the [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]] on its swift and generous response to the emergency in Haiti, and said: "To prevent allegations such as these—which have already been posted on YouTube—going any further, the IDF and the [[Israel Medical Association|Israeli Medical Association]] [''sic''] should establish an independent inquiry immediately to clear the names of the team in Haiti."<ref>Simon Rocker and Martin Bright, [http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/27070/tonge-investigate-idf-stealing-organs-haiti Tonge: Investigate IDF stealing organs in Haiti], [[Jewish Chronicle]], 11 February 2010</ref> On 12 February 2010, Liberal Democrat leader [[Nick Clegg]] removed her from her position as health spokeswoman in the House of Lords calling the comments "wrong, distasteful and provocative". The released statement said she had apologised "unreservedly" for any offence she had caused and that neither Clegg nor Tonge gave the allegations "any credence whatsoever". In an email message sent to an anti-Israel activist, Tonge wrote that she had called for an inquiry to dispel any rumours and that the idea that organs could be being harvested in the situation which existed in Haiti was ludicrous and nonsense.<ref name=JC20100211/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8513662.stm|title=Lib Dem health spokeswoman sacked|date=12 February 2010|publisher=BBC|access-date=12 February 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/liberaldemocrats/7225643/Baroness-Tonge-fired-over-outburst-against-Israeli-soldiers-in-Haiti.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216152924/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/liberaldemocrats/7225643/Baroness-Tonge-fired-over-outburst-against-Israeli-soldiers-in-Haiti.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 February 2010|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London, UK|title=Baroness Tonge fired over outburst against Israeli soldiers in Haiti|date=13 February 2010|access-date=6 May 2010}}</ref><ref>Jonny Paul,[http://www.jpost.com/International/Tonge-fired-over-organ-harvesting-remark "Tonge fired over organ harvesting remark"], ''[[Jerusalem Post]]'', 15 February 2010.</ref> ====Comments about Israel and the Gaza strip (2012–2021)==== In 2012, Tonge appeared at an [[Israeli Apartheid Week]] talk at [[Middlesex University]] on 23 February 2012,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/events/212775238818444/|title=Israeli Apartheid Week: Discussion on "Is Israel an Apartheid State?"|date=23 February 2012|publisher=Facebook|access-date=29 February 2012}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=May 2017}} during which she said: "Beware Israel. Israel is not going to be there forever in its present form. One day, the United States of America will get sick of giving £70bn a year to Israel to support what I call America's aircraft carrier in the Middle East – that is Israel. One day, the American people are going to say to the Israel lobby in the USA: enough is enough. Israel will lose support and then they will reap what they have sown."<ref name=Guardian20120229>{{cite news|last=Watt|first=Nicholas|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/feb/29/lady-tonge-lib-dem-israel|title=Lady Tonge resigns Lib Dem party whip over Israel remarks|work=The Guardian|date=29 February 2012|access-date=11 May 2017}}</ref> A party spokesman said: "Jenny Tonge does not speak for the party on Israel and Palestine. Her presence and comments at this event were extremely ill-advised and ill-judged. The tone of the debate at this event was wholly unacceptable and adds nothing to the peace process. The Liberal Democrats are wholehearted supporters of a peaceful two state solution to the Israel- Palestine issue".<ref>{{cite news|last=Watt|first=Nicholas|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/feb/29/lib-dem-israel-not-last-for-ever|title=Nick Clegg urged to act after Lib Dem peer says Israel will not last for ever|work=The Guardian|date=29 February 2012|access-date=11 May 2017}}</ref> Baroness Tonge resigned the Liberal Democrats whip position immediately after being given an ultimatum by party leader Nick Clegg to apologise or resign for her remarks.<ref name=Guardian20120229/> From this point onwards, she sat in the House of Lords as an independent Liberal Democrat.<ref>James Lyons, [https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mps-demand-50-rise-in-second-1446061 "Shameless MPs demand 50% rise in second home allowances so they don't have to use public transport"], ''[[Daily Mirror]]'', 20 November 2012.</ref> She spoke at a London rally at the Israeli Embassy against the Israeli [[blockade of the Gaza Strip]] and the November 2012 [[Operation Pillar of Defense|Israeli bombings of Gaza]] in retaliation for militant rocket attacks on Israel.<ref>[http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=9546 London's March For Gaza Attracts 15,000] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112095214/http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=9546 |date=12 November 2013 }}, [[Tripoli Post]], 24 November 2012.</ref> In January 2015, the New York Jewish newspaper ''[[Algemeiner Journal]]'' described Tonge as having "a long record of inflammatory, often anti-Semitic, statements against both Israel and the British Jewish leadership" in discussing a written question she had tabled in the Lords,<ref name=algemeiner>{{cite news|last1=Cohen|first1=Ben|title=Antisemitic British Baroness Jenny Tonge Pressures UK Jews to Condemn Israel|url=http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/01/30/antisemitic-british-baroness-jenny-tonge-pressures-uk-jews-to-condemn-israel/#|access-date=30 April 2016|work=Algemeiner.com|date=30 January 2015}}</ref> which urged for "Jewish faith leaders in the United Kingdom publicly to condemn settlement building by Israel".<ref>{{cite web|title=Occupied Territories: Written question - HL4418|url=http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2015-01-26/HL4418/|website=Parliament.uk|publisher=House of Lords, UK Parliament|access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref> [[Jonathan Sacerdoti]] of the [[Campaign Against Antisemitism]] told the ''Algemeiner'': "It is despicable to see her using the House of Lords to try to harass Jewish people".<ref name=algemeiner /> In July 2016, Tonge repeated her call for British Jews to condemn Israel resulting in calls from Campaign Against Antisemitism for her to be expelled from the Liberal Democrats.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://antisemitism.uk/baroness-tonge-again-demands-british-jews-condemn-israel/|title=Baroness Tonge again demands British Jews condemn Israel|date=21 July 2016|access-date=2016-07-22}}</ref> Following [[Jeremy Corbyn]]'s election as [[Leader of the Labour Party (UK)|Leader of the Labour Party]], Tonge said that she was considering joining [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]], having not seen the party as left-wing enough until then. Tonge expressed support for Corbyn and the former Labour MP [[Tony Benn]]: "I marched alongside Tony Benn and Jeremy Corbyn, one on either side. I went to Gaza with Jeremy Corbyn and we met Hamas leaders together".<ref>{{cite news|last=Woolf|first=Marie|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/top-lib-dem-warns-she-may-defect-to-honest-corbyn-lg06qh96j3m|title=Top Lib Dem warns she may defect to 'honest' Corbyn|work=The Sunday Times|date=20 September 2015|access-date=11 May 2017}} {{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Banham|first=Mark|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/liberal-democrat-peer-baroness-tonge-considers-defection-labour-1520444|title=Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Tonge considers defection to Labour|work=[[International Business Times]]|date=20 September 2015}}</ref> [[Deputy Leader of the Labour Party (UK)|Deputy Labour Leader]] [[Tom Watson (Labour politician)|Tom Watson]] said Tonge would be "welcome" in the party.<ref>[http://www.jewishnews.co.uk/anti-israel-peer-jenny-tonge-may-defect-to-corbyns-labour/ "Tom Watson says Jenny Tonge would be 'welcome' in Labour"], ''Jewish News Online'', 20 September 2015.</ref> Tonge chaired a meeting of the Palestine Return Council at the House of Lords on 25 October 2016 to launch a campaign for Britain to apologise for the [[Balfour Declaration]], which advocated a home for Jews in Palestine, ahead of its hundredth anniversary in 2017.<ref name="Kennedy271016">{{cite news|last=Kennedy|first=Dominic|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/jews-blamed-for-holocaust-at-shameful-house-of-lords-event-m86q69tl0|title=Jews blamed for Holocaust at 'shameful' House of Lords event|work=[[The Times]]|location=London|date=27 October 2016|access-date=11 May 2017}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Jennifer Gerber, the Director of [[Labour Friends of Israel]] told ''The Jewish Chronicle'' about the absence of any "reproach or redress from Baroness Tonge as chair" at the gathering, at which "attendees compared Israel to [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIS]] and claimed Jews 'provoked' their own genocide. Silence in the face of such abhorrence amounts to tacit endorsement".<ref>{{cite news|last=Sugarman|first=Daniel|url=http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/165242/jenny-tonge-suspended-liberal-democrats|title=Jenny Tonge suspended by Liberal Democrats|work=The Jewish Chronicle|date=27 October 2016|access-date=27 October 2016}}</ref> Tonge was suspended by the Liberal Democrats, and then resigned from the party on 27 October 2016.<ref name="Sherwood"/> Speaking about London's [[Israeli Embassy in London|Israeli embassy]] at the time, she commented: "They are attacking the Lib Dems as they do Labour. They like to be in control of things".<ref name="Kennedy281016"/> In October 2018, Tonge faced calls to resign over a post she made on [[Facebook]] in the aftermath of the [[Pittsburgh synagogue shooting]], in which she claimed that the [[Israeli government]]'s actions towards Palestinians may have contributed to a rise in anti-Semitism.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/baroness-tonge-antisemitism-pittsburgh-shooting-lib-dems-peer-house-of-lords-a8605341.html|title=Former Lib Dem peer faces calls to be removed from Lords over 'antisemitic' post about Pittsburgh shooting|last=Forrest|first=Adam|date=28 October 2018|work=[[The Independent]]|access-date=29 October 2018}}</ref> Tonge made a similar comment in January 2021 during a House of Lords debate concerning rising anti-Semitic incidents in universities, saying "The victims are innocent Jewish people—students, in this case. They are victims because of the illegal actions of the Israeli government."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Harpin|first=Lee|date=|title=Fury as Tonge blames rising UK campus antisemitism on 'the illegal actions of the Israeli government'|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/uk/fury-as-tonge-blames-rising-uk-campus-antisemitism-on-the-illegal-actions-of-the-israeli-government-1.511061|access-date=2021-02-04|website=www.thejc.com}}</ref> ====Population, health and development==== Tonge is strongly in favour of [[stem cell research]] and has stated so in the House of Lords.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldhansrd/text/81029-0007.htm#81029-0007.htm_spnew6|date=29 October 2008|title=Column 1605|publisher=publications.parliament.uk|access-date=19 January 2009}}</ref> She is [[pro-choice]] on abortion and has supported "[[Assisted suicide|Patient (Assisted Dying)]]" laws in the United Kingdom.<ref>Ann Farmer, ''By Their Fruits: Eugenics, Population Control, and the Abortion Campaign'', CUA Press, 2008, [https://books.google.com/books?id=5A0jWSxnmW0C&dq=%22Jenny+Tonge%22+abortion&pg=PA261 pg. 261]</ref> Tonge was chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health for five years, which in November 2012 issued a report on child marriage, ''A Childhood Lost'', which urged the British government to act to stop child marriage in Britain and abroad.<ref>Maria Caspani, [http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/uk-mps-call-on-government-to-act-decisively-to-stop-child-marriage UK MPs call on government to act decisively to stop child marriage] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130416053706/http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/uk-mps-call-on-government-to-act-decisively-to-stop-child-marriage |date=16 April 2013 }}, [[Thomson Reuters Foundation#TrustLaw|Reuter's TrustLaw]], 29 November 2012.</ref> This followed other reports on Maternal Morbidity, "Better off Dead", and most recently, a new report has been published on Population Dynamics and Sustainable Development. She was President of the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development from 2011-15. In November 2015, she was made an Honorary Fellow of the [[Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists]] for services to women's health in the UK and in developing countries.{{citation needed|date=November 2016}} ==Personal life== Tonge met her future husband, Dr Keith Tonge, in 1959, at university.<ref name="BBCprofile">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3424273.stm|title=Profile: Jenny Tonge|date=23 January 2004|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=16 January 2009}}</ref> The couple married on 23 May 1964 in [[Tipton]]. He was a consultant [[Neuroradiology|neuroradiologist]], formerly at [[St Thomas's Hospital]] in [[Lambeth]]; they have two surviving grown children and seven grandchildren. Keith Tonge died on 5 July 2013.<ref>{{cite news|title=Obituary – Dr Keith Angus Tonge|url=http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/announcements/deaths/obituary/10528539.Keith_Angus_Tonge/|date=5 July 2013|work=Your Local Guardian|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref> Tonge's daughter died by accidental electrocution in 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3735928.stm|title=Coroner verdict on MP's daughter|date=12 October 2004|publisher=BBC|access-date=16 January 2009}}</ref> She lives in [[Kew]] and owns property in [[Hérault]], southern France.<ref name="BBCprofile"/><ref>[https://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=10599 Changes to the Register of Members' Interests], Theyworkforyou.com.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2010/apr/16/volanco-heathrow|location=London, UK|work=[[The Guardian]]|first=Jenny|last=Tonge|title=Volcano's shadow may fall on UK {{sic|nolink=y|ecomony|expected=economy}}, but not on Heathrow flight path|date=16 April 2010|access-date=9 May 2017}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==External links== * [https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/jenny_tonge/richmond_park TheyWorkForYou.com – Jenny Tonge] * [http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Jenny_Tonge&mpc=Richmond+Park The Public Whip – Jenny Tonge] voting record * [https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/baroness-tonge/200 Official House of Lords webpage] {{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{s-new|constituency}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Richmond Park (UK Parliament constituency)|Richmond Park]]|years=[[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]]–[[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005]]}} {{s-aft|after=[[Susan Kramer]]}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Tonge, Jenny}} [[Category:1941 births]] [[Category:Alumni of University College London]] [[Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames]] [[Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers]] [[Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Dudley]] [[Category:People from Walsall]] [[Category:UK MPs 1997–2001]] [[Category:UK MPs 2001–2005]] [[Category:Crossbench life peers]] [[Category:People educated at St James Academy, Dudley]] [[Category:Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies]] [[Category:20th-century British women politicians]] [[Category:21st-century British women politicians]] [[Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors]] [[Category:20th-century English women]] [[Category:20th-century English people]] [[Category:21st-century English women]] [[Category:21st-century English people]] [[Category:Women councillors in England]] [[Category:Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II]] [[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]] Help [[Category:Peers retired under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014]] [[Category:British anti-Zionists]] [[Category:English activists for Palestinian solidarity]]
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