MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle suspended after complaint from Labour Party

MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle was suspended from the Labour Party following a complaint about his conduct.

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.

“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’m not allowed to run in the next election.”

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

The PA news agency understands that Mr Russell-Moyle has been suspended from the party pending the matter’s resolution following a serious complaint last week.

A Labour Party spokesman said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints extremely seriously and investigates them fully in line with our rules and procedures and takes any necessary disciplinary action.”

Mr Russell-Moyle said he would continue to contribute to public life in a variety of ways “under what we hope will soon be a 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.”

Mr Russell-Moyle was elected in 2017. He was Shadow Foreign Secretary in Jeremy Corbyn’s cabinet and Shadow Environment Secretary in Sir Keir Starmer’s first cabinet.

The suspension comes amid an ongoing row over Diane Abbott’s future in the party. The long-serving Labour MP has regained her party seat but it is unclear whether she will be able to stand as Labour’s candidate for her constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington.

On Wednesday, Mr Corbyn will also launch his own campaign against his former party in Islington North.