Corbyn-era former shadow minister Christina Rees is suspended by the Labour Party amid probe into allegations she bullied her constituency staff
- The MP for Neath has had the whip removed after the party began investigation
- The 68-year-old is a former judo black belt and international squash player
- She was shadow Welsh secretary from 2017 to 2020 under Jeremy Corbyn
A former shadow minister was suspended by the Labour Party today amid claims she bullied her staff.
Christina Rees, the MP for Neath, has had the whip removed after the party began an investigation into complaints about her behaviour, MailOnline understands.
The 68-year-old, a former judo black belt and international squash player, was shadow Welsh secretary from 2017 to 2020 under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.
She becomes the 14th independent in the House of Commons – joining others including Mr Corbyn – meaning there are now as many officially unaligned MPs as there are Liberal Democrats.
Christina Rees, the MP for Neath, has had the whip removed after the party began an investigation into complaints about her behaviour, MailOnline understands.
The mother of one was married to ex-Labour minister Ron Davies for 26 years until 1999. A year earlier he hit the headlines when he was mugged by a man he met at a gay cruising area on Clapham Common in London.
In a statement, Rees told the Guardian: ‘There has been a complaint made against me to the Labour party, which is under investigation and I am therefore under an administrative suspension until the process is concluded.
‘I’m not aware of the details of the complaint but I am fully cooperating with the investigation.’
Ms Rees was elected in Neath in 2015, replacing Blair era minister Peter Hain. She quit as a shadow minister in protest at Jeremy Corbyn and supported rival Owen Smith when he ran against the leader in 2016.
But she returned to the Corbyn fold the following year.
The mother of one was married to ex-Labour minister Ron Davies for 26 years until 1999.
A year earlier he hit the headlines when he was mugged by a man he met at a gay cruising area on Clapham Common in London. He later quit as Welsh secretary for what he said was a ‘moment of madness’.
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