Labour MP Ivan Lewis suspended following sexual harassment claim
2 min read
Labour MP Ivan Lewis has been suspended by the party following allegations he made inappropriate sexual advances towards women.
The party launched an investigation into the former minister’s behaviour earlier this month after BuzzFeed News reported allegations that he touched a woman's leg and invited her to his house at a Labour event in 2010, when she was 19.
Mr Lewis has previously denied making any "non-consensual sexual comments or sexual advances".
However he later apologised if he had made any women he had worked with feel “awkward”.
In a statement today, a Labour spokesperson said: “The Labour party takes all allegations of sexual harassment extremely seriously.
"Ivan Lewis is currently suspended from the Labour party pending an investigation.”
Buzzfeed reported that other women had also complained about the Bury South MP’s behaviour.
A lawyer for Mr Lewis told the website following the launch of an investigation: “Mr Lewis has previously acknowledged that on some occasions his invitations to people he works with to join him for dinner or drinks have made them feel uncomfortable.
“He apologises if this caused them discomfort and if he underestimated the impact his invitations to drinks or dinner could have.
“He has always sought to behave with integrity and is genuinely sorry if he got it wrong in some circumstances.
“He fully supports the rights of women to raise these issues, and stresses his commitment to equality and fairness in the workplace.”
His fellow Labour MP, Kelvin Hopkins, is also suspended over allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour, which he denies.
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