Labor MP Christina Rees loses party whip after alleged bullying | Plowing

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A senior Labor MP has been stripped of the party whip after allegations of bullying her constituency staff, the Guardian can reveal.

Christina Rees, who was shadow Wales secretary during Jeremy Corbyns time as leader, will now sit as an independent in the House of Commons.

It is understood that there will be an internal Labor party investigation into the allegations and Rees, the MP for Neath, will have her party membership suspended until the case is resolved.

Local party members claimed that several of her staff had made detailed statements, which they said were backed up with evidence, to Labor headquarters about claims of bullying.

One senior constituency figure claimed to the Guardian that the alleged behavior had been going on for years.

In a statement, Rees said: There has been a complaint made against me to the Labor party, which is under investigation and I am therefore under an administrative suspension until the process is concluded. Im not aware of the details of the complaint but I am fully cooperating with the investigation.

Rees, who won the south Wales seat in 2015, taking over from Labor former cabinet minister Peter Hain, will become the 14th MP to sit as an independent, equaling the number of Lib Dem MPs in the Commons.

Other MPs who have lost the whip include former Labor MPs Jeremy Corbyn, Rupa Huq and Claudia Webbe, as well as former Tory ministers Conor Burns and Chris Pincher.

Rees, who has a black belt in judo and has represented Wales at squash, was married until 1999 to Ron Davies, who became the first cabinet minister to resign from Tony Blairs government after what became known as a moment of madness when he was mugged at knifepoint at a well known gay meeting place on Clapham Common.

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The Labor party will not comment on individual cases because its disciplinary procedures are confidential.

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