Son of Carl Sargeant to stand for Labour in by-election sparked by his father's death
2 min read
The son of Carl Sargeant is to be the Labour candidate in the by-election caused by his father's death.
Jack Sargeant said he was "humbled and honoured" to be selected to stand in the Welsh Assembly seat of Alyn and Deeside on 6 February.
Carl Sargeant, a former minister in the Welsh government, was found dead at his home in November, four days after he was sacked over allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
His family have insisted that Mr Sargeant had protested his innocence, and criticised the Labour party for failing to reveal the full details of the allegations he faced.
Speaking after securing the Labour nomination, Jack Sargeant said he would be "seeking justice" for his father and "getting to the truth about the chain of events that led to his premature death".
He added: "I am humbled and honoured to have been selected as Labour's candidate. I would like to thank local Labour party members for the faith they have placed in me.
"I will be standing on a platform of being a powerful voice for local people - in the proud tradition of my father."
Labour general secretary Iain McNicol announced last month that the party was dropping its investigation into the allegations against Carl Sargeant.
In a letter to Mr Sargeant's family's solicitor, he said: "As you know, our procedures require that after a complaint has been received, the Labour party sends an agreed formal statement of the complainant to the respondent so that the respondent may revert.
“The Labour party received the initial complaint on Friday 3 November and was waiting for the formal statement to send to Mr Sargeant when the tragic news reached us of his passing.”
He added: “At no stage did the Labour party assume or confer any guilt on any individual... The Labour party rejects any liability for costs in this matter. We are confident we have acted in accordance with our procedures at all times."
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