Health Secretary Wes Streeting is facing an internal Labour Party complaint over alleged “uncomradely behaviour” after a joke about former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh.
She resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s top team after it emerged she had been convicted of fraud.
Days after Ms Haigh’s resignation, Streeting hosted the Spectator magazine’s “Parliamentarian of the Year” awards, a glitzy Westminster dinner often associated with barbed jokes from the politicians who attend.
In his speech, Streeting said there had been a “spate of bike thefts around Westminster lately. Police urge vigilance.”
A photograph of Ms Haigh riding a bike appeared on the screen behind him.
“No, seriously, I love Louise,” Mr Streeting said.
“And I’m going to call her tomorrow on one of her phones.”
Ms Haigh resigned earlier this month when it emerged she had pleaded guilty to a criminal offence related to incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.
The incident was disclosed to Sir Keir when she joined the shadow cabinet.
Several Labour government and party figures told Bloomberg that they found Mr Streeting’s remarks inappropriate.
A Labour member of a local council later filed a complaint with the party accusing Mr Streeting of “bullying,” “defamation/libel”, and “uncomradely behaviour.”
The Labour Party said “all complaints are thoroughly assessed in line with our rules and procedures.”
However, a person familiar with the process said they did not expect further action to be taken, Bloomberg reported.
Mr Streeting recently had to be roped in by Sir Keir after the Prime Minister expressed his displeasure with his health Secretary’s vocal opposition to a bill to allow assisted dying.
