A NEWPORT City Council member and former Mayor who was suspended from Labour in the midst of a row around allegations of anti-Semitism in the party has been reinstated.

Cllr Miqdad Al-Nuaimi was suspended from the party in May following comments he made on his Twitter account critical of the Israeli government.

But in a statement issued this morning the Iraq-born councillor confirmed his suspension had been lifted.

“The suspension was announced on May 4 2016 without prior warning to me via the Press Association in London on the day before the local elections in England and the Assembly in Wales,” he said.

“I first learnt of this surprising and unexpected event via a hand-written note passed on to me by a colleague while attending the Planning Committee meeting at Newport City Council.”

His suspension came following three Tweets he posted in August 2014, February 2015 and March 2016 criticising the Israeli government for their actions in Palestine.

Cllr Al-Nuaimi said the public manner in which his suspension was announced had impacted on his ability to carry out his role as a councillor and Labour Party member.

“It has taken considerable time to get a hearing on the matter and to bring it to a conclusion,” he said.

“In the meeting that I eventually attended with the general secretary of the Wales Labour Party I was able to explain the background and context of the comments.

“I also reiterated my complete rejection of all forms of racism and discrimination, and cited my long and proud record of standing and campaigning against any of their forms, both as an individual and as a public servant.”

He added he would now be able to re-join council committees and outside bodies and resume attending Labour Party meetings.

“This means I can now serve my constituents in Stow Hill and the residents in Newport even more effectively than I have been able to do during the suspension period,” he said.

“I am naturally pleased that I can now put this whole unfortunate episode behind me.”

Cllr Al-Nuaimi was first elected to the council in the late 1980s and served as Mayor in 2006. Although he lost his seat in 2008, he was re-elected as ward member for Stow Hill in 2012.

The Labour Party has been contacted for comment.