Labour is to restore the party whip to Neil Coyle after the MP was suspended for drunken abuse and making racist comments to a journalist.
Coyle was suspended in February last year after a complaint by Henry Dyer, a political reporter for the Insider website who now works for the Guardian, about the behaviour of the MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark in London.
The MP previously had a complaint of sexual harassment upheld against him over an incident at a Labour conference.
The decision over Coyle’s readmission was confirmed on Wednesday by Labour’s chief whip, Alan Campbell.
Campbell is understood to have told a parliamentary Labour party committee that independent investigations into Coyle’s conduct had been undertaken by Labour and an independent expert panel under the independent complaints and grievances scheme, which was set up by parliament and investigates complaints about inappropriate behaviour.
In March, Coyle was suspended from the Commons for five days. The MP was found to have breached the Commons’ harassment policy with drunken behaviour in its Strangers’ bar last year. Coyle was found to have engaged in “foul-mouthed and drunken abuse” towards a junior parliamentary assistant employed by another MP.
The independent expert panel said this was “shocking and intimidating for any complainant, particularly a junior member of staff”.
In the second case, Coyle was found to have “used abusive language with racial overtones” towards Dyer.
On Wednesday, Campbell told the PLP committee that he had been clear to Coyle that the behaviour described in the reports was completely unacceptable and had met him a number of times and sought reassurances about his future conduct.
While suspended, Coyle undertook two programmes regarding managing alcohol and stopped drinking entirely, according to Labour sources, who said the chief whip had also said to the MP that drinking did not excuse his behaviour.
The committee also was told the party recognised the efforts Coyle was said to have made to address his drinking and to change his behaviour.
In a statement published last year by Insider, Dyer, who is from a British Chinese background, said Coyle referred to China as “Fu Manchu” and told him he looked like he was involved in giving money to the Labour MP Barry Gardiner, who received large sums from a woman who later was accused of being a Chinese agent.
Dyer said he had subsequently encountered Coyle around parliament and felt a “sense of discomfort”, and decided to inform the Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle.
Coyle, who has spoken about quitting alcohol for a year and has pleaded for the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, to readmit him to the parliamentary party, accepted he was “drunk” on both occasions.
In an apology in the Commons when news of his suspension was announced, Coyle said he was “ashamed” of his behaviour.
“I wish to specifically apologise to the two complainants who were subject to my drunk and offensive behaviour and attitude,” he said. “I cannot apologise enough for the harm and upset caused, and I’m ashamed of my conduct, frankly. It should not have happened.”
After news that Coyle would have the whip returned, the Labour grassroots movement Momentum said: “It is shocking and disgusting to see Labour readmit someone found to have engaged in racial and sexual harassment. The NEC must immediately move to bar Neil Coyle from standing as a Labour candidate at the next election.
“This shameful act exposes a system which is not fit for purpose. When loyalists can engage in such abhorrent behaviour and be punished with nothing more than a slap on the wrist, the Starmer leadership’s claims to independent and robust disciplinary processes lie in tatters.
“It’s time to end this dangerous, politicised abuse of the Labour whip, and enact a truly independent process.”
