A Labour MP has been suspended after allegations that he made racist comments to a journalist at Westminster.
Neil Coyle, the MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, has been accused of using offensive language against a reporter in the Strangers’ Bar in the House of Commons.
Journalist Henry Dyer said he reported the alleged comments to the Commons Speaker, who he said took “immediate action” with his staff and suspended Coyle from the bars on the estate pending an investigation.
Dyer, who is British-Chinese, said he came into contact with Coyle in Strangers’ Bar on the evening of Tuesday February 1, after going for Chinese New Year dinner with his family.
He accused the MP of making Sinophobic remarks, which he said made him feel uncomfortable.
Dyer claimed he had also witnessed Mr Coyle “angrily shouting at a Labour staffer” in the bar the previous evening.
A Labour official said: “The Labour Party expects the highest standards of behaviour from all our MPs and we take allegations of this sort very seriously.
“Accordingly, the chief whip has now suspended the Labour whip from Neil Coyle pending an investigation.”
Coyle has apologised his “insensitive” actions, adding that he has “apologised to everyone involved”.
In a statement following the withdrawal of the Labour whip, Coyle promised to co-operate “fully” with an investigation into his conduct.
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