New Labour peer suspended over alleged inappropriate behaviour
The suspension comes just weeks after Lord Joe Docherty was sent to the House of Lords by Keir Starmer
Former education secretary Joe Docherty has been suspended by the Labour party pending an investigation.
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The move comes after it was revealed that Docherty resigned from a college group after allegedly conducting sexual liaisons during working hours.
After a nomination from the Prime Minister last month, Docherty became Lord Docherty of Milngavie.
On Saturday, Docherty was stripped of the party whip.
A joint investigation by the Sunday Times and FE Week found that Docherty resigned as chief executive of NCG, formerly Newcastle College Group, after being confronted with allegations of inappropriate conduct in October 2018.
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At the time of the confrontation, NCG was the largest sixth-form and further education group in the country.
Docherty had allegedly met partners at hotels paid for by NCG during working hours and exchanged more than 50 sexual messages on the same day as an Ofsted inspection.
It was revealed that he had a sexual liaison on one occasion when he was scheduled to attend a meeting.
Docherty allegedly told a partner: “My work scheduled a conference call for 10.30am tomorrow but I’ve given my apologies so we can meet.”
Two weeks after an internal inquiry recommended formal disciplinary proceedings, Docherty quit.
However, the circumstances of his departure were not divulged to the public, and for more than half a decade he continued as chairman of the governing body of Durham University.
Dochery said: “I fully accept that whether as a member of the House of Lords or as a senior executive, accountability is paramount and I welcome legitimate scrutiny.
“However, I am also entitled to a private life. The apparent leaking of a version of a confidential internal HR report and The Sunday Times’s reliance upon such a document is disgraceful.”
It has been reported that Docherty did not mention the resignation during the vetting process before his appointment to the House of Lords.
A Labour spokesperson said: “The Labour Party expects the highest standards from our members. All complaints are thoroughly assessed in line with our rules and procedures.”