A Labour MP was suspended last night over accusations of sexual harassment, it has emerged.
Mike Hill, 56, has been temporarily ejected from the party and a probe into the allegations has been launched, Labour confirmed.
The Hartlepool MP, who is married, stands accused of making unwanted sexual advances to a woman who worked in the House of Commons.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, reportedly submitted a complaint to the party this month.
She also is said to have filed her complaint about Hill to police, accusing him of an act of sexual impropriety, The Sunday Times reported.
The accusations against the 56-year-old have surfaced at the start of the Labour Party’s conference in Brighton, which has got off to a “bad start”.
The party has spent the past 24 hours dealing with the fallout of an “outrageous” bid to oust deputy leader Tom Watson, and the announcement that a key Corbyn aide has quit.
Hill’s reported suspension marks the latest in a string of sexual harassment claims to be made against Labour MPs and advisers.
Kelvin Hopkins, the MP for Luton North, and Ivan Lewis, the MP for Bury South, were suspended from the party in November 2017 amid separate allegations of sexual misconduct.
Both deny the allegations against them and Mr Lewis later resigned from the party.
In response to the complaint lodged against Hill, Labour issued a statement saying: “The party takes all complaints of sexual harassment extremely seriously, which are fully investigated and any appropriate disciplinary action taken in line with the party’s rules and procedures.
“We cannot comment on individual complaints.”
The party provides a helpline for victims of sexual harassment, and offers an independent specialist advice service to support complainants through the process of making a complaint.
Labour told The Sunday Times that Hill did not wish to comment.
