Phillips demands answers over Kelvin Hopkins revelations

Labour backbencher Jess Phillips has questioned why Kelvin Hopkins was promoted to the shadow cabinet despite claims he sexually harassed a woman three years ago.

Phillips, the MP for Birmingham Yardley, spoke out today after Hopkins was suspended last night.

The Luton North MP, also a backbencher, had the Labour whip withdrawn following allegations that he sent inappropriate messages to Ava Etemadzadeh, 27, and pressed his body against her when they hugged.

Hopkins, 76, has not commented on the claims so far.

He was briefly promoted to Jeremy Corbyn’s top team as shadow culture secretary in summer last year following the wave of resignations following the EU referendum.

Today Phillips, also a backbencher, told the BBC’s Today programme that Hopkins should not have been given a shadow cabinet post.

“I don’t think that it was sort of political expediency; I think that people just didn’t take it as seriously as it needed to be taken.”

Last night a spokesperson for Labour said: “On the basis of allegations received by the Labour Party today, Kelvin Hopkins has been suspended from party membership, and therefore the Labour whip, while an investigation takes place.

“The Labour Party takes all such complaints extremely seriously and has robust procedures in place to deal with them.”