Labour MP Arrested on Suspicion of Child Sex Offences and Rape, Suspended From Party

A Member of Parliament for the left-wing Labour Party in Britain has been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences and rape.

MP for North East Somerset and Hanham, Dan Norris, was taken into police custody on Friday as officers searched his home, Avon and Somerset Police said on Saturday.

“A man aged in his sixties was arrested on Friday on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl (under the Sexual Offences Act 1956), rape (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), child abduction and misconduct in a public office,” the force said in a statement per The Guardian.

“He’s been released on conditional bail for enquiries to continue. This is an active and sensitive investigation, so we’d respectfully ask people not to speculate on the circumstances so our enquiries can continue unhindered.”

The police force said that it had received information in December from another police force over historical child sex offences against a girl.

While Avon and Somerset Police said that most of the allegations against Norris dated back to the 2000s, they are also investigating an allegation of rape from this decade.

“An investigation, led by officers within Operation Bluestone, our dedicated rape and serious sexual assault investigation team, remains ongoing and at an early stage,” the force said. “The victim is being supported and given access to any specialist help or support she needs.”

Following the announcement of the arrest, the Labour Party suspended the MP from the party and had the whip removed from him in the House of Commons.

“Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest. We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing,” a Labour spokesman said.

Norris previously served as the MP for Wanskyke from 1997 to 2010, and served as a Rural Affairs minister in Gordon Brown’s Labour government. He returned to the House of Commons last year after defeating former Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg.

According to his website, Norris trained with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) to become a child protection officer.