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AAP
AAP
Politics
Andrew Brown

Labor MP Byrne to resign at next election

The Labor MP had been under growing pressure to quit after admitting to engaging in branch stacking. (AAP)

Long-standing Labor MP Anthony Byrne will resign from federal politics at the upcoming election.

Mr Byrne, who has held the Melbourne-based seat of Holt since 1999, won't contest the May election after growing pressure to quit politics.

The veteran MP was a whistleblower on branch stacking allegations involving disgraced Victorian state MP Adem Somyurek.

During a corruption inquiry in Victoria last year, Mr Byrne admitted to engaging in branch stacking and used taxpayer-funded parliamentary staff to create fake branch members.

The revelations led to him stepping down from his role on a powerful parliamentary committee, but resisted calls to step away from federal politics.

Mr Byrne wrote to the ALP's national secretary on Thursday advising he would not be a candidate at the upcoming election.

Labor's national executive will oversee the selection process for candidates, due to it currently overseeing the Victorian branch of the party.

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