Liam Byrne: Labour MP suspended from House of Commons after being found to have bullied former assistant

MP Liam Byrne has been suspended from the House of Commons after he was found to have bullied a staff member.

The Labour politician, who represents the constiuency of Birmingham Hodge Hill, has been found to have bullied former assistant David Barker.

Parlimentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone said that Mr Byrne’s behaviour displayed a “significant misuse of power”.

The former Cabinet member apologised for his behaviour, saying that he was “profoundly sorry” for the matter.

Why was Liam Byrne suspended from the House of Commons?

Ms Stone confirmed today (28 April) that Mr Byrne had been found to have bullied Mr Barker following a small office dispute.

Mr Byrne is said to have ostracised his former assistant following the incident, even going so far as to do diable his parlimentary email account.

The MP was found to have bullied the staff member by the Independent Complaints and Grievence Scheme.

A report said that Mr Byrne has tried to “present his actions as a reasonable HR strategy” but that the panel “disagreed” with his actions.

The panel said: “It was bullying.

“He should, as he now accepts, have tackled any misconduct through a proper disciplinary process not by ostracizing the complainant.”

Mr Byrne will be suspended from the House of Commons for two days as a result of the ruling.

What has Liam Byrne said about being suspended from the House of Commons?

Mr Byrne has released a statament on the situation in whwich he said he was “profoundly sorry” for the incident.

He said: “Two years ago at the beginning of lockdown, following a workplace dispute that led me to send the complainant home… I did not resolve the dispute correctly with a proper disciplinary process, and having nevertheless extended the complainant’s contract, thereby failed to fulfil my obligations as an employer and Parliament’s Behaviour Code.

“This constituted an ostracism which was a breach of Parliament’s Behaviour Code which I strongly support, and caused distress for which I am profoundly sorry. I have apologised in full to the individual concerned.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the panel for recognising the genuine remorse I felt about the impact on the individual concerned, the steps I have already taken to ensure this never happens again along with the work still to do, and for concluding that I did not deliberately act to delay the investigation.

“This has been a valuable lesson for me and one I am determined to learn as me and my team seek to offer the best possible service and voice for the residents of Hodge Hill.”

What has Labour said about Liam Byrne being suspended from the House of Commons?

While the politician has been suspended from the House of Commons, Mr Byrne has not been suspended from the Labout party.

The party did however release a statement condemning his behaviour and backed his punishment.

A Labour spokesman said: “The Labour Party fully supports the recommendations of this independent report, including the proposed sanction.”

The GBM union, which represents Mr Byrne, added that the process in which parliamentary staff are emplyed should be overhauled.

Jenny Symmons, chair of the GMB branch for members’ staff, said: “We resoundingly condemn the despicable behaviour of Liam Byrne MP, who showed David a complete lack of respect or regard while in his employment.

“GMB welcomes the decision to uphold our member’s complaint of serious bullying and harassment.

“However, the sanction of an apology, a recommendation for training and a suspension of just two days is far beneath what is needed to address this kind of abuse.”