Neil Coyle has had the Labour whip restored this afternoon over a year after losing it for a drunken sinophobic rant in Strangers’ Bar. He has since undergone unconscious bias training and claims to have been sober for over a year. Now he’s back in the Labour camp, despite having two allegations of bullying and harassment upheld against him by the Independent Expert Panel…

In a personal statement to the Commons, Neil Coyle offered a “sincere” apology to his complainants, constituents and local Labour Party. It came after two complaints of bullying and harassment were upheld by the Independent Expert Panel. Neil accepted the panel’s punishment “on the chin” and spoke about his work on self-improvement, including undergoing unconscious bias training and going a year sober. Neil added that “two of my brothers have Chinese wives and I have two Chinese nieces and a nephew. I also need to show them this was an aberration”.

The Independent Expert Panel (IEP) has recommended a five-day suspension for independent MP Neil Coyle after two allegations of bullying and harassment were upheld against him. The first was a drunken rant in Strangers’ Bar, in which he told a parliamentary staffer to “f*ck off” and a fellow MP to “lose some weight“. The second followed a complaint from journalist Henry Dyer, whom Coyle made racist remarks towards on the estate last year. He subsequently lost the Labour whip…

Now the IEP report has concluded “it was clear that very marked abuse of alcohol was at the root of events” and advised a suspension:

“Mr Coyle has accepted that the term “Fu Manchu” was deeply insensitive and has taken action to educate himself through speaking to members of the Chinese community. Since the complaint was made, [the respondent] has recognised the detrimental impact alcohol has had on his behaviour and has taken action to address this. I would take this opportunity to commend [the respondent] on the positive action he has taken. The breach of confidentiality by [the complainant] was significant and resulted in widespread negative publicity on [the respondent]. This has had an impact on [the respondent] and his ability to undertake his role.”

He is also expected to make a “full and unreserved apology” in the Commons…

Despite his suspension in February over racism allegations – not to mention screaming like a banshee in Strangers’ – ex-Labour MP Neil Coyle is still waltzing around with Labour volunteers, campaigning under the party’s banners, and reportedly even texting members of his CLP to ask if they’ll back his re-selection. An interesting definition of ‘suspended’…

Coyle’s not exactly keeping any of this a secret. This photo, tweeted by Coyle himself on Thursday, clearly shows him out on the trail with Labour volunteers, all of whom are holding Labour-branded literature…

Coyle’s pinned tweet, still stuck at the top of his profile at the time of going to pixel, even shows him posing with “Vote Labour” signs outside his constituency office. It will have been six months exactly this Thursday since Coyle had the whip suspended – any update, Labour?

Stories arising from updates to the MPs’ Register of Interests are like catching a bus: you wait for one and a couple come along at once. Scrolling through today’s updates there are some eyebrow-raising entries: for example, Chris Bryant has received £7,600 for the rights to make a television series based on his book. The book in question isn’t listed, though Guido would be surprised if it’s not The Glamour Boys, about a group of young, gay MPs who helped fight Hitler…

Former Labour chief whip Nick Brown has also registered his departure as a non-executive director of the Mariinksky Theatre Trust – an arts body with links to Russia – though this was less his decision and more a result of the trust closing down just shy of its 30-year birthday following the invasion of Ukraine.

Guido couldn’t help laughing at Neil Coyle’s registering of £3,000-worth of support from the Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project (RAMP), in the form of a policy advisor for 2.5 days per week from January to February this year. According to RAMP’s website they are focused on “re-imagining a world-class migration system for a successful and integrated Britain”. They’re now donating services to an MP suspended by the Labour Party for allegedly making racially charged remarks about a journalist of Asian origin…

The jaw-dropper this month is undoubtedly Priti Patel, who totally puts to shame Geoffrey Cox’s high earnings. She’s just registered a whopping £100,000 donation from Anduyrand Capital Management, “a private fund management company in fundamental commodity strategies with a specialisation in the oil and energy complex.”

Drinks on Priti…

Responding to Neil Coyle’s statement – regarding his racist comments levelled at Business Insider’s Henry Dyer – that he’s “very sorry for my insensitive comments, have apologised to everyone involved”, political editor Cat Neilan clarifies:

“This hasn’t been sent to anyone in our team, including [Henry Dyer]”