MP Neil Coyle has had the Labour whip suspended over allegations he made racist comments to a journalist on the Parliamentary estate last week.
Keir Starmer and Labour Chief Whip Sir Campbell made the decision to suspend the MP for Bermondsey and Southwark after he was alleged to have made Sinophobic remarks to Henry Dyer, a British-Chinese journalist working for Business Insider, in the House of Commons bar, Strangers.
Mr Dyer said he came into contact with Mr Coyle on the evening of Tuesday February 1, after going for Chinese New Year dinner with his family.
He said he and the MP had been discussing Barry Gardiner, a Labour MP who received funds from a figure now known to be a Chinese spy, when Mr Coyle said his colleague had been “paid by Fu Manchu”.
The journalist said then pointed out the reference to a “Chinese trope” was not appropriate and noted that he was British-Chinese.
Mr Dyer claims the MP told him his heritage was apparent “from how you look like you've been giving renminbi to Barry Gardiner”.
He said the comments made him feel “uncomfortable in my place of work” and on the morning of Thursday February 3, informed the Speaker what had happened.
Mr Dyer claimed he had also witnessed Mr Coyle “angrily shouting at a Labour staffer” in the bar the previous evening.
It is understood that after Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle then convened a meeting with the Serjeant at Arms who ordered that Mr Coyle should be suspended from bars in the Commons for six months.
Authorities in the House of Lords are believed to have taken similar action.
Mr Coyle has apologised for his "insensitive" remarks.
He told the Mirror: "I’m very sorry for my insensitive comments, have apologised to everyone involved and will be cooperating fully with the investigation."
Now, the party has taken action by suspending the whip.
A Labour spokesperson said: “The Labour Party expects the highest standards of behaviour from all our MPs and we take allegations of this sort very seriously.
"Accordingly the Chief Whip has now suspended the Labour whip from Neil Coyle pending an investigation.”
A Labour source said: "Removing the whip was a no-brainer. The accusations are credible, and the lack of surprise about Neil says a lot. We must be better at anti-racism as a party, across the board, and that means taking action every time. The whip being removed suggests the message is getting through but the real question is how serious will the investigation - and resulting action - be."
Nick Lowles, chief executive of anti-racism campaign Hope Not Hate, said, “We welcome the decision made by the Labour Party to suspend Neil Coyle from the whip, pending investigation. The reports of Coyle’s behaviour towards a journalist of East Asian heritage reflect views which are deeply racist and unacceptable.
“We stand in solidarity with Henry Dyer. Given the rise in discrimination and hate that so many people of East Asian heritage have experienced during the pandemic, it is incredibly disturbing that this kind of sentiment has reached the corridors of power in Westminster. We cannot allow racism of any kind to be normalised within the heart of our democracy.”
The House of Commons declined to comment.
