Labour suspends MPs
THREE senior Labour MPs were suspended from the party last night over allegations of swaying policy for cash.
Chief whip Nick Brown took the decision after Stephen Byers, Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon were caught discussing the possibility of working for what they thought was an American lobbying firm.
The “cash-for-lobby” incident has been an embarrassment for Labour, with Byers describing himself as “a cab for hire”.
He said his services could be bought for £5, 000 a day and that he had previously saved millions of pounds for National Express after securing secret deals with ministers over a rail franchise contract that the company wanted to get out of.
Gordon Brown has rejected calls from the Conservatives for a government inquiry into the allegations. All three ex-ministers were due to stand down at the next election.