Labour suspends left-wing MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle after complaint

The MP for Brighton Kemptown said in a statement that he had received a letter of administrative suspension “out of the blue”.

He said: “Someone (whose name remains unknown to me) has made what I believe to be a vexatious and politically motivated complaint about my conduct eight years ago. This is a false allegation which I completely deny and I believe was designed to disrupt this election.

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“I don’t have enough time to defend myself because these processes within the party take too long. That’s why the party has informed me that I am no longer allowed to stand as a candidate in the next election.”

He stated that he wanted to cooperate with the investigation and clear his name.

According to the PA news agency, Russell-Moyle has been suspended from the party pending the investigation following a serious complaint received last week.

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A Labour Party spokesman said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints extremely seriously and they will be fully investigated in accordance with our rules and procedures and all appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.”

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

He added: “I wish Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and the Labour team the best of luck and hope that on election night we can celebrate Labour victories across Sussex and beyond.”