Labour MP Stephen Timms has praised the "extraordinary work" of Jesus House after Sir Keir Starmer apologised over a visit to the church last week.
Jesus House, based in Brent, north London, is the flagship church of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the UK.
Labour leader Sir Keir visited the church's pop-up vaccination centre on Good Friday and later posted a video to Twitter praising its work.
But after the Labour Campaign for LGBT+ Rights challenged Sir Keir over the "unacceptable" visit, he deleted the video and apologised "for the hurt caused".
Timms, the Labour MP for East Ham, responded to the controversy by praising Jesus House on Twitter.
"I applaud the extraordinary work of@jesushouseuk, and of churches and other faith groups, in supporting our communities throughout the past year," he said.
Despite strong criticism and calls for his removal from the party, he has not retracted his comment.
London City Mission CEO Graham Miller thanked Timms for his stance: "Thank you @stephenctimms for standing with Christians brothers and sisters like @agu_irukwu at Easter. We stand together as we offer the community of London hope, good news, and unconditional love."
