Newcastle MP Nick Brown has Labour party membership suspended after complaint

Newcastle upon Tyne East MP Nick Brown has had his Labour party membership suspended after a complaint was launched against him.

The politician has also had the whip suspended after a complaint was launched under the party's new independent complaints process - reports The Guardian in an exclusive on Thursday night.

The 72-year-old, who was born in Kent and attended the University of Manchester before moving to the North East, is now under investigation. The nature of the complaint is not yet known.

Mr Brown said he had not been told what the complaint is about and that he is "cooperating fully" with the investigation.

In a statement, the MP said: “There has been a complaint made about me to the Labour party, which is under investigation. I am therefore under an administrative suspension from the Labour party until the investigation is concluded. I’m not aware of what the complaint is. I am cooperating fully with the investigation.”

The Labour party implemented a new complaints process earlier this year after the Equalities and Human Rights Commission raised concerns over the party's handling of antisemitism complaints. The rule change removed any political interference in disciplinary and complaints cases.

Mr Brown has held his role as MP since 1983, making him the fifth longest serving MP in the House of Commons. He was first appointed Chief Whip in 1997 by Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1997. He was again appointed to that role in 2008 by Gordon Brown, Jeremy Corbyn in 2016 and Sir Kier Starmer in 2021.