Labour shadow minister Bambos Charalambous suspended from party after complaint

Bambos Charalambous said it is ‘right and proper that process is allowed to take place’

Labour’s Bambos Charalambous has been suspended from the party pending an investigation into a formal complaint (Alamy)

A Labour shadow minister has been suspended from the party pending a formal investigation into a complaint against him.

Bambos Charalambous said he was “aware” of an allegation about him and it was “right and proper” for the party to investigate it.

The shadow foreign office minister was reported under Labour’s independent complaints process, the Guardian reported.

As a result, Mr Charalambous is administratively suspended from the Labour party, which has the automatic effect of suspending the whip in the House of Commons.

He has had the Labour whip suspended and stepped down from his role on Labour’s front bench.

Labour would not comment on the suspension.

Mr Charalambous’s suspension is the latest to rock Labour. The party last week suspended long-serving MP Geraint Davies pending an investigation into reports of “incredibly serious allegations of completely unacceptable behaviour”.

Mr Davies was the subject of a formal complaint by one woman as well as a series of claims including that he “boasted” about bringing sex workers into parliamentary bars.

Complaints against Mr Davies come amid a slew of revelations in what has been termed the “Pestminster scandal”, in which allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour have been made against MPs or other senior figures.

Labour MP Charlotte Nichols said was warned of a group of around 30 MPs she should stay away from when elected in 2019 – saying there was something “deeply rotten” in the Westminster culture.

Mr Charalambous was elected as the MP for Enfield Southgate in 2017 and given a role on Labour’s front bench in 2020. He has served as shadow minister for the Middle East and North Africa since 2021.

Before becoming an MP, Mr Charalambous was a solicitor and served as a member of Enfield council.