Sarwar: disciplined

Labour Starts to Discipline Sarwar

The MP now looks certain to be suspended pending the outcome of police inquiries into claims he gave £5,000 to a rival election candidate to scale down his campaign. Labour's Development and Organisation Committee has approved an interim report by an inquiry panel set up by the party to probe the claims.

The report, which has to be approved by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee next week, recommends suspending Mr Sarwar from office or representation. It says there is a "prima facie" case that the Glasgow Govan MP has broken party rules through "action grossly detrimental to the party".

But Mr Sarwar is still defiant. "I am confident that the various police inquiries will clear my name. I sincerely hope that once this has happened, the National Executive will lift the suspension. In the meantime I will continue to serve the Labour Party and the people of Govan to the best of my ability," he said in a statement.

Today's report also called for the party's own probe into the bribery claims against Mr Sarwar to be frozen pending the outcome of the police inquiry and any subsequent court proceedings. If Mr Sarwar is suspended next week, which now looks certain, he will still be a Labour MP, but will face "internal exile" in the party, losing his rights and privileges as an MP and unable to attend most meetings.

The recommendations look certain to be approved by the NEC when it meets next week. And the Chief Whip Nick Brown will ask Labour MPs at their regular meeting this Wednesday to give him the power to suspend misbehaving members. Up until now the party has only had the power to expel MPs, a measure which would be too draconian at this stage in Mr Sarwar's case because he has not yet been charged with any offence by the police.

Mr Sarwar has repeatedly denied being involved in corruption and is suing the News of The World which first made the claims. However, he has admitted handing over the money, but said it was a loan after the election, not a bribe. He faces further allegations that he bribed two other fringe candidates, Peter Paton and Jamil Abbassi.

Scottish Nationalists tonight called for Mr Sarwar to resign and bring about a by-election, saying he had brought Labour into disrepute and his position as an MP had become "untenable". SNP Chief Executive Mike Russell - whose party has twice in the past captured Govan from Labour in previous by-elections - said: "The case against Mr Sarwar is no longer just an internal Labour Party matter. It is now a matter of democratic accountability and credibility."

A News of the World spokesman said in a statement: "The recommendation of the Labour Party's Development and Organisation Committee that Mr Sarwar should be suspended vindicates the News of the World's investigation and revelations. So far as Mr Sarwar's libel action against the News of the World is concerned, this will be defended with the utmost vigour."