Labour MP who abused journalist ‘with racial overtones’ charged taxpayers for equality training
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A Labour MP suspended after using “abusive language with racial overtones” towards a journalist went on to charge taxpayers for equality training.
Neil Coyle, who rejoined Sir Keir Starmer’s party after having the whip restored earlier this year, claimed £295 in expenses for the course.
The MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark was suspended from Labour last year following an incident in a Commons bar during which he was said to have made Sinophobic comments towards Henry Dyer, a British-Chinese political journalist
Mr Coyle went on to put an equality training course in January this year on expenses, it has now emerged.
Kim Johnson, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, told The Independent it was “an outrage for Neil Coyle to charge the taxpayer in his attempt to atone for his racist and abusive behaviour” and called on Sir Keir to “seriously reconsider removing the whip again”.
The Labour Party declined to comment.
Foul-mouthed and drunken
Mr Coyle was suspended from the Commons for five days after being found to have breached Parliament’s harassment rules over the incident with Mr Dyer.
The “abusive language with racial overtones” directed at the journalist complemented “foul-mouthed and drunken abuse” towards another MP’s assistant, according to the Independent Expert Panel, which examines complaints against MPs.
In the incident involving Mr Dyer, Mr Coyle and a group including the reporter were discussing Barry Gardiner, a Labour MP who received donations from a woman later revealed by MI5 to be a Chinese spy.
Mr Coyle suggested his colleague was being paid by “Fu Manchu”, a fictional Chinese “supervillain”, before Mr Dyer explained that he is British-Chinese and that it was unnecessary to use such a trope.
Mr Coyle then told the journalist that he could tell from how he looked that he had been giving renminbi, the Chinese currency, to Mr Gardiner.
Later, when leaving the bar, Mr Dyer sought to defuse the situation by waving goodbye to Mr Coyle. The MP was found to have put two fingers up at the reporter in response.
Apology in Commons
Mr Coyle was reinstated as a Labour MP in May, when Alan Campbell, the chief whip, told him that drinking “does not in any way excuse his behaviour” but that the party recognised his efforts to address his problematic conduct.
A Parliamentary Labour Party committee meeting heard Mr Coyle had undertaken two programmes regarding managing alcohol and had stopped drinking entirely.
In an apology in the Commons, he said he was “ashamed” of his behaviour and said the intervention had “quite possibly saved my life” by compelling him to stop drinking.
“I wish to specifically apologise to the two complainants who were subject to my drunk and offensive behaviour and attitude,” he said.
“I cannot apologise enough for the harm and upset caused, and I’m ashamed of my conduct frankly. It should not have happened.”
The Labour Party was involved in another racism controversy earlier this year when Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton, had to apologise after suggesting the former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng was “superficially black”.
Ms Huq briefly had the whip removed and undertook anti-racism and bias training.
Mr Coyle has been contacted for comment.
