Watchdog recommends Commons suspension for Coyle over harassment

The parliamentary watchdog has recommended that Neil Coyle be suspended from the Commons for five days over breaches of parliament’s harassment rules, including using “abusive language with racial overtones” towards a journalist.

The Independent Expert Panel (IEP) concluded in a report published today that the MP engaged in “foul-mouthed and drunken abuse” of another MP’s staff member in addition to making “racist” comments towards the journalist.

Coyle had the Labour whip suspended, as well as his membership administratively suspended, in February last year after politics reporter Henry Dyer revealed the MP made racist remarks towards him.

Both of the incidents covered by the IEP’s report took place in parliament’s Strangers’ Bar, and the watchdog concluded that the “very marked abuse of alcohol was at the root of events”.

The parliamentary commissioner for standards concluded that neither incident represented bullying, “since the necessary element of abuse or misuse of power was missing”, but said Coyle’s conduct was “properly characterised” as harassment.

The IEP recommended that Coyle should apologise to the Commons and be suspended for a total of five days, two in relation to the first incident and an additional three as a result of the second.

In a statement to MPs today, Coyle said: “It is right and proper that I’ve been held to account, sanctioned accordingly and I take my punishment on the chin. I fully accept my failings and again express my sincere apologies.

“I will use the time suspended to reflect on self-improvement and have already undergone some training, including on tackling unconscious bias.”

The MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark said he owes the complainants his “gratitude” for “calling out my upsetting words and actions”, adding: “It forced me to recognise that my drinking had become a dependency and to seek help.” He told MPs: “Their intervention has quite possibly saved my life.”

In an incident on February 1st 2022, Dyer said Coyle had told him that he could tell that the reporter was British-Chinese “from how you look like you’ve been giving renminbi [the Chinese currency] to Barry Gardiner”.

They had been discussing the then recent news that Gardiner, the Labour MP, had received funds from a suspected Chinese spy. According to Dyer, Coyle said Gardiner was being paid by “Fu Manchu”, a fictional Chinese supervillain character.

Coyle did not deny making the comments. After the news of his whip suspension, the MP said: “I’m very sorry for my insensitive comments, have apologised to everyone involved and will be cooperating fully with the investigation.”

The IEP said today: “The comments were unacceptable and constitute harassment, as they had the effect of violating the complainant’s dignity and created an ‘intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment’. The racist nature of the comments is a serious aggravating factor in this case.”

Responding to today’s report, Dyer said: “Everyone working in parliament should be able to do so without harassment and abuse. I spoke out to raise awareness of racism, particularly anti-Asian racism, and of inappropriate conduct.

“I am grateful to the [Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme] for the way in which they have handled this matter and to my colleagues and friends for their support and kindness. I am pleased this process has concluded and I can get on with my work as a journalist reporting on Westminster.”

In the separate incident relating to the parliamentary staff member, the IEP report said the case “involves the repeated, high-volume swearing and shouting at a junior member of parliamentary staff, by an established MP, in their place of work,
and in front of many work colleagues”.

The watchdog said Coyle’s conduct “will have been shocking and intimidating for any complainant, particularly a junior member of staff”.