Bambos Charalambous back in Labour Party following investigation
Former shadow foreign minister Bambos Charalambous says he is "delighted" to have his party membership restored after a 10-month-long investigation.
Friday 12 April 2024 21:51, UK
A former member of the Labour frontbench has been readmitted into the party after an investigation does not uphold a complaint against him.
The former shadow foreign minister Bambos Charalambous was suspended from the party last June, meaning he lost the whip and sat in the Commons as an independent MP.
Mr Charalambous, the MP for Enfield Southgate, said in a post on X that he was "grateful to the Labour Party independent complaints board for clearing my name after a thorough investigation into the allegations against me".
He added: "I am delighted that the suspension of my Labour Party membership has been lifted.
"Throughout this challenging time, my primary focus has been serving the constituents of Enfield Southgate. With this matter resolved, I look forward to returning to parliament with the Labour whip restored to be the voice of my constituents once again in Westminster."
A Labour Party spokesperson confirmed that an investigation by the party's independent complaints process into the MP has now concluded and the complaint had not been upheld, meaning Mr Charalambous has had his party membership restored as well as the Labour whip.
Since April 2022, formal complaints received by the party are scrutinised by independent lawyers. If a hearing is required to determine the case, it will be heard by the independent complaints board, which is chaired by an independent lawyer
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There are currently seven former Labour MPs who have had the whip removed and now sit as independents in the Commons.
The most recent MP to lose the Labour whip is Kate Osamor, who is being investigated for saying Gaza should be remembered as a genocide on Holocaust Memorial Day.
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The Edmonton MP sent a message to party members saying that Holocaust Memorial Day should be observed, but that other genocides should also be remembered - including Gaza.
She later apologised "for any offence caused by my reference to the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza".