Labor has suspended left-wing MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle over a complaint

The Brighton Kemptown MP said in a statement that he had received an “unexpected” letter of administrative suspension.

He said: “Someone (who remains anonymous to me) made what I believe to be an annoying and politically motivated complaint about my behavior eight years ago. This is a false allegation that I completely dispute and believe was intended to disrupt this election.

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“I don’t have time to defend myself because these processes in the party take too long, so the party told me that I won’t be able to run in the next elections.”

He said he intended to cooperate with the investigation and clear his name.

The AP news agency understands Russell-Moyle has been suspended from the party pending an investigation after receiving a serious complaint last week.

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A Labor Party spokesman said: “The Labor Party takes all complaints extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in accordance with our policies and procedures and all appropriate disciplinary action is taken.”

Russell-Moyle said he would continue to contribute to public life in a variety of ways “under a hopefully Labor government.”

He added: “I wish Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and the Labor team all the best and look forward to celebrating Labor’s victories in Sussex and beyond on election night.”