Labour has readmitted an MP who was accused of bullying her staff after she apologised for her behaviour.
A Labour spokesperson said on Thursday that the party had restored the whip to Christina Rees, the MP for Neath, who has been under investigation for more than a year after complaints about her were made by several of her staff.
Rees apologised for her behaviour and announced she would not stand again at the next election – though she had already been barred from selection as the Labour candidate for the new seat of Neath and Swansea East, which will swallow up most of her existing constituency.
Rees said in a statement: “Following the conclusion of the Labour party’s investigation into my conduct, I would like to make clear that I fully accept the outcome of the party’s process and offer an unreserved apology. I can also confirm that I have reviewed the findings of the investigation and taken a number of steps to ensure that my future conduct is of the highest standard.
“I am pleased that I have been able to resume my party membership and, following a conversation with the chief whip, have had the Labour whip restored today. I would like to take this opportunity to announce that I do not intend to seek re-election. I will, of course, continue to do everything to serve my constituents until the general election.”
A party spokesperson added: “Christina Rees is once again a full member of the Labour party and has regained the Labour whip.”
Rees, who was shadow Welsh secretary during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the party, lost the whip in October after several members of staff made detailed allegations about her behaviour, which they said were backed up with evidence. One person told the Guardian that the alleged bullying had been going on for years.
While Rees is able to sit as a Labour MP again, nine others elected on a Labour ticket remain suspended or expelled by the party, with some investigations having been open for more than a year. They include Corbyn, who was suspended in 2020 for his response to a scathing report on antisemitism in the party under his watch.
Rees was married until 1999 to Ron Davies, who resigned from Tony Blair’s government after he was mugged at knifepoint at a well-known gay meeting place on Clapham Common.
