Suspended ex-Labour MP Nick Brown has confirmed he won’t stand at the next general election. The former Chief Whip was suspended over a year ago without a public explanation. Since then, while Nick continued to collect his £86,584 salary, the party has remained tight-lipped on the details of the complaint that led to his downfall. An internal investigation, as customary, has been in a state of limbo for over a year. Brown claims Labour has refused to hold a disciplinary hearing in person, or to allow his lawyers to directly question the complainant, and that he and his legal team considered the evidence to be hugely thin;

“Despite my hopes that good sense, legal propriety and basic natural justice might prevail, it has become increasingly clear to me not only that I cannot possibly expect a fair hearing, but that this process is a complete farce”