Aberdeenshire Labour candidate suspended for ‘pro-Russian’ social media post

A Labour candidate has been suspended from the party after reports emerged that he had shared material online that appeared to downplay Russia’s role in the Salisbury poisonings.

The BBC reports that Andy Brown, who is standing for election in Aberdeen North and Moray East, shared an article from Russian state media outlet RT in April 2018 claiming that the “toxin” used in the poisonings “was never made in Russia but was in use in the US, UK and other NATO countries”.

Dawn Sturgess, 44, died in July 2018 from exposure to the nerve agent Novichok, which was left in a discarded perfume bottle in Amesbury, Wiltshire.

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It followed the attempted murders of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and former police officer Nick Bailey, who were poisoned in nearby Salisbury in March of the same year.

All three survived, as did Ms. Sturgess’s boyfriend, Charlie Rowley.

The Metropolitan Police identified three suspects wanted in connection with the poisonings: Denis Sergeev, Alexander Mishkin and Anatoliy Chepiga, who used the code names Sergey Fedotov, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov in the UK.

A Scottish Labour Party spokesman told the BBC: “Andy Brown has been suspended from the Labour Party pending the outcome of the investigation.

“We have taken the decision to withdraw our support from a parliamentary candidate during a parliamentary election.

“Anas Sarwar and Keir Starmer transformed the Labour Party and said every candidate and MP would work to the highest standards. This action shows they meant it.”

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves welcomed the news of his suspension.

Speaking to Sky News on Wednesday, Ms Reeves said: “I had never heard of this man until this morning and I am very, very glad that I hope I don’t have to hear from him again as he has been suspended as a Labour candidate.”

“That is absolutely right. We reacted quickly.

“As soon as these postings came to light, we got rid of him.”

She added: “People who do not share our values ​​in the changed Labour Party will be thrown out of the Labour Party, while the Conservative Party continues to host people like Liz Truss, who has done so much damage to the lives of working people across the country.”

Because the nomination deadline has passed, Mr Brown will still appear on the ballot paper as a Labour candidate, meaning that if elected on July 4, he will stand as an independent.