The leader of one of Labour’s flagship local councils, who resigned from his role last week, is being investigated by the party over an allegation of sexual harassment and unwanted touching, the Guardian understands. Lambeth council has rejected any link between the allegation and the announcement last week that Jack Hopkins was stepping aside after two years in the role. However, the Guardian has been told that a woman made a complaint to Labour in March about sexual harassment by Hopkins. Lambeth is a longtime stronghold for the party, and currently has 57 Labour councillors and only six representing opposition parties. A Labour spokesperson said: “The Labour party has a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and we take all complaints extremely seriously.”The party is in the process of reviewing its complaints and sexual harassment procedures.

Source: The Guardian May 16, 2021 18:06 UTC