Labour suspends MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle over complaint

Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has been suspended by the Labour Occasion over a criticism about his behaviour.

The MP for Brighton Kemptown has been advised by the social gathering he is not going to be eligible to be a candidate at 4 July’s election.

He advised BBC South East he believes it’s a “vexatious and politically motivated criticism” about his behaviour eight years in the past.

He says he’ll cooperate with the investigation course of to clear his identify, including “I consider I might be totally exonerated”.

The Labour Occasion confirmed a criticism has been obtained and is being investigated.

Mr Russell-Moyle was elected as a councillor for Brighton and Hove Metropolis Council in 2016 and to Westminster in 2017.

He posted a private assertion on social media, saying that the criticism letter got here “out of the blue” from somebody “who stays nameless to me”.

He mentioned: “This can be a false allegation that I dispute completely and I consider it was designed to disrupt this election.

“There is not sufficient time to defend myself as these processes throughout the social gathering take too lengthy, so the social gathering have advised me that I’ll not be eligible to be a candidate on the subsequent election. I am gutted.”

He added he would work with the investigation processes “to clear my identify” and would have a look at “how you can contribute to public life in numerous methods” meantime and nonetheless hoped to see a Labour authorities.

A Labour Occasion spokesperson mentioned: “The Labour Occasion takes all complaints extraordinarily critically and they’re totally investigated in keeping with our guidelines and procedures, and any acceptable disciplinary motion is taken.”

Labour’s ruling Nationwide Government Committee is assembly on Tuesday to endorse the ultimate listing of the social gathering’s candidates.

The Electoral Fee’s deadline for all would-be election candidates to register is Friday 7 June.

On the 2019 common election, Russell-Moyle was re-elected as MP for Brighton Kemptown with a decreased vote share of 51.6% and a decreased majority of 8,061.

The opposite candidates standing in Brighton Kemptown are Khobi Vallis for the Conservatives, Elaine Hills for the Greens, Stewart Stone for the Liberal Democrats, Kellie-Jay Eager for the Occasion of Ladies, Valerie Grey for the Social Democratic Occasion and Elaine Ghoneim for the Staff Occasion of Britain.