Labour shadow minister Bambos Charalambous suspended over complaint

Shadow minister Bambos Charalambous has been suspended as a Labour MP after a complaint about his conduct.

The BBC understands a formal complaint was made to Labour's complaint process, and an investigation was then launched.

In a tweet, Mr Charalambous said there was an allegation "that requires investigation by the Labour Party".

He said it was "right and proper that process is allowed to take place" and would "co-operate fully".

But the MP added it was "not appropriate to say anything further at this time".

Mr Charalambous, a shadow Foreign Office minister in Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's top team, has had the party whip removed, pending an investigation.

This means he will not be part of the Labour party within Parliament while the investigation is ongoing, although he remains the MP for Enfield Southgate, and will sit as an independent.

Neither Mr Charalambous nor Labour have commented on the nature of the complaint.

Mr Charalambous is a solicitor and worked for Hackney Council in their housing legal team before becoming an MP in 2017.

The 55-year-old has held several posts on Sir Keir's frontbench, including shadow minister for crime, and shadow minister for immigration.