A Labor MP must be removed from the municipality for two days for harassing a staff member in his constituency, the report recommended.
Liam Byrne’s Liam Byrne MP has been found to have “expelled” a former assistant following an official dispute.
He suspended his personal contacts with him for five months in 2020 and denied him access to his parliamentary IT account.
Following an independent inquiry, Catherine Stone, Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, confirmed the accusation against Mr Byrne.
The former cabinet minister said he was “deeply sorry” for the incident.
The Independent Expert Committee, which decides sanctions when complaints are filed against lawmakers, said he should be suspended from parliament for two days for violating his policy of harassment and harassment.
“It was harassment,” the panel said.
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“He should, as he now accepts, deal with any misconduct through appropriate disciplinary proceedings and not by expelling the complainant.
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Mr Byrne, 51, was also asked to apologize to the complainant and undergo training “to address the reasons for his conduct”.
The MP said that he “apologized completely to the affected person”.
“Two years ago at the beginning of the blockade, after a dispute at work that led me to send the complainant home … I did not resolve the dispute properly with appropriate disciplinary proceedings and after extending the complainant’s contract, I was thus unable to “I am fulfilling my obligations as an employer and the Parliament’s Code of Conduct,” he said.
“This was ostracism, which was a violation of the Code of Conduct for Parliament, which I strongly support, and caused suffering, which I deeply regret. I apologized completely to the affected person.
“I am incredibly grateful to the committee for recognizing the sincere remorse I felt for the impact on the person affected, the steps I have already taken to ensure that this never happens again, along with the work I still have to do,” and the conclusion that I did so not to act intentionally to delay the investigation.
“It was a valuable lesson for me and one I am determined to learn as my team and I strive to offer the best possible service and voice to the people of Hodge Hill.”
Labor said it supported his two-day suspension.
A spokesman said: “The Labor Party fully supports the recommendations of this independent report, including the proposed sanction.”
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