Labour suspends lawmaker after his arrest in connection with an investigation into sex offenses
Labour suspends lawmaker after his arrest in connection with an investigation into sex offenses
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s ruling Labour Party has suspended one of its lawmakers after he was arrested in connection with an investigation into allegations of rape and child sex offenses.
Labour suspended Dan Norris, 65, who was elected to Parliament during last year’s general election. The action means Norris, who represents North East Somerset and Hanham, will no longer be part of the Labour caucus, though he remains a member of the House of Commons.
Norris is also the mayor of the West of England, a regional authority that controls issues such as planning and transportation in an area that includes Bristol, Bath and the surrounding countryside. He was elected to the post in 2017 but is due to step down after local elections in May.
“Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest,” the party said in a statement released on Saturday. “We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”
Avon and Somerset Police said that a man in his 60s was arrested on Friday and released on conditional bail. Police in England don’t normally identify criminal suspects by name until they have been formally charged.
“In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offenses having been committed against a girl,” the force said. “Most of the offenses are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s but we’re also investigating an alleged offense of rape from the 2020s.”
Norris, whose arrest was first reported by the Sun on Sunday and the Mail on Sunday, previously served in Parliament from 1997 to 2010. He was an assistant whip under Prime Minister Tony Blair and a junior minister under Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
