UK lawmakers revoke ex-MP's parliamentary pass for hosting Press TV show

Former British Labour MP Chris Williamson's parliamentary pass has been revoked until further notice due to his links with Press TV.

The former UK Labour lawmaker lost his access to the British Parliament after a committee of MPs convened to review his security pass at a hearing on Tuesday.

Alleged security concerns were raised about Williamson due to his position as a presenter of “Palestine Declassified,” a weekly program on Iran's Press TV that provides an in-depth look at the Palestine issue.

Williamson, a staunch supporter and ally of former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, had been one of more than 300 former MPs that hold passes giving them access to the British Parliament.

In a tweet on Monday, he explained the reasons why he thought the serving MPs were planning to strip him of his security pass.

“Apparently a committee of MPs is meeting this week to decide whether to take my parliamentary pass away because I present a weekly programme on PressTV about Palestine, and because I've criticised the govt's support for NATO's proxy war in #Ukraine,” he wrote.

A lifelong socialist, trade unionist, anti-imperialist and animal rights campaigner, Williamson served as a Labour councillor, Council leader, member of parliament and a shadow minister under Ed Miliband and Corbyn.

The 66-year-old has been hosting “Palestine Declassified” alongside sacked Bristol University professor David Miller since early last year.

George Galloway, the former MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, also used to host a show for Press TV. He was sanctioned by Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, under the pretext of harboring anti-Israeli bias. 

Press TV's license to broadcast in the UK was revoked by Ofcom in 2012. The network was recently targeted with sanctions by the European Union as part of the bloc's measures against the Iranian government in relation to several months of foreign-backed riot in Iran starting in September last year.

Ban on Press TV 'failed attempt' to stop it from challenging Western notions: Academic

The sanctions imposed on Press TV are

Press TV, which has earned a reputation as the "voice of the voiceless," has faced many attacks from Western countries over the years.

On April 3, 2012, Munich-based media regulator BLM announced it was removing Press TV from the SES Astra satellite, as it purportedly did not have a license to broadcast in Europe.

In November 2012, the Hong Kong-based AsiaSat took Iranian channels off air in East Asia, and in October 2012, Eutelsat and Intelsat stopped broadcasting several Iranian satellite channels, though the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting managed to resume broadcasts after striking deals with smaller companies that are based in other countries.

It was also taken off air in North America after the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

Press TV was dropped from the Galaxy 19 satellite platform that allowed it to broadcast in the United States and Canada, without saying when it was dropped.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk