Lloyd Russell-Moyle: Labour MP resigns from frontbench amid JK Rowling trans row and Israel comments

(Parliament)

A Labour MP forced to apologise twice in a month has resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s frontbench team.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, a staunch ally of Jeremy Corbyn, blamed a campaign by the “right wing media” which he said had unleashed a torrent of online hate and made his position untenable.

The Brighton Kemptown MP apologised to the Harry Potter author last month after he accused her of using her own sexual assault as “justification” for discrimination against trans people.

At the weekend he apologised for Facebook comments in which he suggested Jewish claims to Israel were "not progressive in [their] very nature" and that Zionism was a "dangerous nationalist idea".

Mr Russell-Moyle said his office was receiving abusive calls every day and that he and his team needed time to recover from the stress.

A Labour spokesperson said: “Lloyd spoke to Keir Starmer this afternoon and informed Keir of his decision to step back from front bench duties as shadow minister for the natural environment. Keir thanked Lloyd for his hard work on the frontbench and wished him well in his plans for the coming months to focus on housing and youth services.”