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Neil Coyle

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Neil Coyle
MP
Official portrait, 2019
Member of Parliament
for Bermondsey and Old Southwark
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded bySimon Hughes
Majority7,787 (20.7%)
Member of Southwark London Borough Council
for Newington
In office
6 May 2010 – 22 March 2016
Preceded byJames Gurling
Succeeded byJames Coldwell
Personal details
Born (1978-12-30) 30 December 1978 (age 45)
Luton, Bedfordshire, England
Political partyLabour
EducationBedford School
Alma materUniversity of Hull (BA)
Websiteneilcoyle.laboursites.org Edit this at Wikidata

Neil Alan John Coyle (born 30 December 1978) is a British Labour politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bermondsey and Old Southwark since 2015.

Coyle has at times been the subject of debate during his time in parliament, after being accused of being abusive to constituents,[1] racist to journalists,[2] and guilty of bullying Labour parliamentary staff.[3] He has apologised for his conduct and been open about his battle with alcoholism. Coyle was suspended by Labour and banned from Parliament's bars for six months. He had the whip reinstated in May 2023.[4] Since 2023 Coyle has pledged to be teetotal.

Early life and career

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Neil Coyle was born on 30 December 1978 in Luton. He grew up in Luton and is one of six children. He went to Wenlock and Ashcroft schools before receiving a full scholarship to Bedford School, an independent school for boys founded in 1552.[5] He received a BA in British Politics and Legislative Studies from the University of Hull.[6] From 2001 to 2003, he lived in China.[6]

Coyle was elected as a councillor for Newington ward in the 2010 Southwark London Borough Council election.[7] As a councillor, he supported the unsuccessful Garden Bridge project, on which his wife worked as a landscape architect and a fact about which he was open.[8] He was deputy mayor of Southwark from 2014 to 2015.[6] He stood down as a councillor in 2016.[9]

Parliamentary career

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Official portrait, 2017

At the 2015 general election, Coyle was elected to Parliament as MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark with 43.1% of the vote and a majority of 4,489.[10][11] He was one of 36 Labour MPs to nominate Jeremy Corbyn as a candidate in the Labour leadership election of 2015.[12] Following his election, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons.[13]

Following the May 2016 elections, he co-wrote an article with Jo Cox which said that they had "come to regret" the decision of voting to make Jeremy Corbyn leader of the opposition.[14] After the article was published, Coyle resigned as a Parliamentary Private Secretary.[13] He then supported Owen Smith in his unsuccessful attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 leadership election.[15] Coyle was highly critical of Corbyn and wrote a series of articles arguing against his position on several key issues, such as terrorism and Brexit.[16][17]

In the 2016 referendum on the UK leaving the European Union (EU), Coyle campaigned to remain.[18]

In February 2017, Coyle was one of 47 Labour MPs who defied the party's three-line whip to vote against triggering Article 50 for the UK to leave the EU[19] and has called for it to be revoked.[20] Coyle sits on the Work and Pensions Select Committee.[21]

At the snap 2017 general election, Coyle was re-elected as MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark with an increased vote share of 53.2% and an increased majority of 12,972.[22][23]

He chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Wines and Spirits, the secretariat for which is provided by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, which is based in Coyle's constituency.[24] He also chairs the APPG for Foodbanks, which he established in 2017,[25] as well as those for Ending Homelessness and Counter Extremism.[26][27]

In February 2019, Coyle said that he had declined an invitation to join The Independent Group, later Change UK, a splinter group of centrist Labour and Conservative MPs that formed that month.[28]

Coyle was again re-elected at the 2019 general election with an increased vote share of 54.1% and an increased majority of 16,126.[29]

In May 2021, Coyle reported Corbyn to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, claiming that Corbyn had failed to declare full legal funding.[30] The Commissioner did not uphold the complaint, noting there was no requirement to register legal support from a membership organisation.[31]

On 11 February 2022, as a result of controversial statements by Coyle, the Labour whip was suspended from him and he was barred from all bars on the Westminster estate.[32][33] Coyle also had his Labour Party membership administratively suspended, pending an investigation.[34] In May 2023, he was readmitted to the Labour Party.[35]

At the 2024 general election, Coyle was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 44.8% and a decreased majority of 7,787.[36]

Controversial statements

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Boris Johnson

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Coyle has been criticised for his use of language in public on a number of occasions. In September 2019, Coyle referred to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on British television as "a dick".[37] Following the incident, Coyle spoke with the Southwark News, saying his constituents had complained about his use of language, suggesting he does not "need to be that crude". Coyle told the Southwark News, "I will be toning down the language but never the passion".[38]

Brexit and Piers Morgan

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During the 2019 Labour Party Conference, Jeremy Corbyn made a Brexit statement that the Labour Party would not be immediately backing either leave or remain. Many Labour MPs voiced their concerns, but Coyle went a step further by describing Corbyn's stance as "bullshit".[38]

Coyle again received media coverage after a day of strongly worded statements in the House of Commons. Labour MPs and their leader, Corbyn, were critical of Boris Johnson's use of language, including when Johnson suggested that the best way to honour Jo Cox was to deliver Brexit.[39] Journalist and presenter Piers Morgan then tweeted about the use of Jo Cox's name, saying "Parliament has reached a new low on all sides. Disgraceful". Coyle replied on Twitter in several posts, telling Morgan to "go fuck yourself", while also calling him a "sick little man" and a "scrote".[40]

Jacob Rees-Mogg

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On 25 August 2020, in a now deleted tweet, Coyle wrote, "I have spent years warning local people that these fat old racists won't stop blaming the EU when their shit hits the fan. Here they come blaming others. Absolute shitbag racist wankers". This was in response to a tweet by fellow parliamentarian Jacob Rees-Mogg, who had criticised the BBC's decision to omit the traditional singing of "Rule, Britannia" which ordinarily took place during the final evening of the Proms. Coyle followed this tweet up with a further tweet, referring to the song: "If you didn't hate it before, feel free to hate the song now. I've never known anyone but shitlickers like it tbh".[41] Coyle later apologised for his tweets.[42]

Later in 2020, Rees-Mogg accused UNICEF of a political stunt after it announced that for the first time in its 70-year history it would be providing food parcels to children in deprived areas of London prior to Christmas. Rees-Mogg said that UNICEF was "playing politics when it is meant to be looking after people in the poorest, the most deprived countries in the world, where people are starving, where there are famines and where there are civil wars". Rees-Mogg was branded a "Scrooge" by Coyle, who invited Rees-Mogg to visit Coyle's constituency, one of the affected areas.[43]

Swearing

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On 31 January 2022, Coyle was involved in a swearing fit at a Labour aide in a Westminster bar following a disagreement about the effects of Brexit and told a Conservative MP who intervened to calm the dispute to "fuck off and lose some weight".[44][45]

Alleged racism

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In early February 2022, Coyle was accused of making Sinophobic remarks on 1 February to Henry Dyer, a political reporter of British-Chinese origin.[46] It was reported Coyle said to Dyer that he could tell "from how you look like you've been giving renminbi to Barry Gardiner", following the latter's receiving funds from an agent of the Chinese state. According to Dyer, while discussing Gardiner, Coyle also said he had been funded by "Fu Manchu".[44] Consequently, on 11 February, Coyle had the Labour whip suspended pending an investigation and was banned from all bars on the Westminster estate.[32][33]

Dyer said Coyle refused to apologise when he confronted him, with Coyle asking him, "if it was just the case that [Dyer] was being over-sensitive".[46] After the incident was made public and reported to the Speaker of the House, Coyle apologised[47] for his "insensitive comments" and said he would be cooperating with the investigation. Coyle faced calls to resign.[48]

In July 2022, Coyle said he drank a lot because working as a MP is stressful.[49]

In March 2023, Coyle was found to have breached Parliament's bullying and harassment policy and was suspended from the Commons for five days.[50] Coyle had the Labour whip suspended from February 2022 to May 2023.[50] Coyle later claimed £295 in expenses for equality training. Labour MP Kim Johnson strongly criticised Coyle for charging taxpayers in his effort to make amends for his abusive behaviour. She raised the question of whether he is genuinely committed to learning from his mistakes.[51]

Sexual harassment

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In March 2023, it was revealed that Coyle had a sexual harassment complaint upheld against him as a Labour MP.[52] Coyle made derogatory remarks about the partner of a young woman and asked her if she was "going back with me or him tonight then?"[52]

Personal life

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Coyle married Sarah Lindars in 2014.[6] His wife is a landscape architect and they have one daughter.[53] Coyle has written about the impact on his family of his mother's mental ill-health.[54]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Johnston, Katherine (27 August 2020). "Neil Coyle apologises for foul-mouthed Twitter rant over Rule Britannia debate". Southwark News.
  2. ^ Mason, Rowena (3 March 2023). "Neil Coyle suspended from Commons for five days after 'drunken abuse'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Independent Expert Panel recommends suspending Neil Coyle MP for five days for breaching Parliament's Bullying and Harassment Policy" (Press release). UK Parliament. 3 March 2023.
  4. ^ Neame, Katie (25 May 2023). "Coyle return calls into question Labour's zero tolerance of racism and harassment". LabourList. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  5. ^ "About". Neil Coyle MP. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d "Coyle, Neil, (born Dec. 1978), MP (Lab) Bermondsey and Old Southwark, since 2015". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2015. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u283894. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Local council elections May 2014". Southwark Council. 23 May 2014. Archived from the original on 22 May 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Neil Coyle on the Garden Bridge". Audioboom. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Southwark MPs Neil Coyle and Helen Hayes announce resignation from council". Southwark News. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  11. ^ Council, Southwark. "Southwark Council download - General election - Bermondsey and Old Southwark - Council and democracy - Voting and elections". southwark.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  12. ^ "Who nominated who for the 2015 Labour leadership election?". New Statesman. London. 15 June 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  13. ^ a b "MP Neil Coyle quits role in Shadow Cabinet joining others in Labour leadership coup against Jeremy Corbyn". Southwark News. London. 27 June 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  14. ^ Cox, Jo; Coyle, Neil (6 May 2016). "We nominated Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership. Now we regret it". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  15. ^ "Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith". LabourList. 21 July 2016. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  16. ^ Coyle, Neil (2 December 2019). "We must give security services what they need to keep us safe". Evening Standard. London. Archived from the original on 2 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Labour must now relentlessly focus on our national interest". Politics Home. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  18. ^ "EU vote: Where the cabinet and other MPs stand". BBC News. 22 June 2019. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  19. ^ "A dozen London Labour MPs in revolt over Corbyn's three line whip on Brexit". London Evening Standard. 1 February 2019. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  20. ^ "Petition to Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU passes 6 million signatures". iNews. London. 31 March 2019. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  21. ^ "Work and Pensions Committee - membership". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  22. ^ "Bermondsey & Old Southwark parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
  23. ^ http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7979/CBP-7979.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  24. ^ "Neil Coyle MP Announced as new Chair of Wines and Spirits APPG" (Press release). WSTA. 2019. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  25. ^ "Today I chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group on Foodbanks". Facebook. Neil Coyle. 1 May 2018. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  26. ^ "All Party Parliamentary Group for Ending Homelessness". crisis.org.uk. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  27. ^ "Register of All-Party Parliamentary Groups [as at 31 July 2019]". UK Parliament. 31 July 2019. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  28. ^ Johnston, Katherine (20 February 2019). "Neil Coyle turned down chance to join breakaway Independent Group". Southwark News. London. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  29. ^ "UK Parliamentary General Election 2019". Southwark Council. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  30. ^ Scott, Geraldine (24 May 2021). "Labour MP accuses Jeremy Corbyn of failure to declare full legal funding". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  31. ^ "Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP - not upheld" (PDF). Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. UK Parliament. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  32. ^ a b "Labour MP Neil Coyle suspended over racist comment claim". BBC News. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  33. ^ a b Payne, Adam (11 February 2022). "Labour Suspends Neil Coyle MP Over Racism Allegation". Politics Home. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  34. ^ Rodgers, Sienna (11 February 2022). "Neil Coyle suspended as Labour member and Labour MP over racism claims". LabourList. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  35. ^ "Neil Coyle: Labour readmits MP suspended over 'drunken abuse'". BBC News. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  36. ^ "Statement of Person Nominated and Notice of Poll: Bermondsey and Old Southwark Constituency" (PDF). Southwark Council. 7 June 2024.
  37. ^ Johnston, Katherine (4 September 2019). "Bermondsey MP Neil Coyle Defends Calling PM "a d**k"". Southwark News. London.
  38. ^ a b Johnston, Katherine (26 September 2019). "Neil Coyle Launches Stinging Attack on Piers Morgan - After Telling The News He was Swearing Off Bad Language for Good". Southwark News. London. Archived from the original on 27 September 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  39. ^ Sparrow, Andrew (25 September 2019). "Fury as Boris Johnson says best way to honour Jo Cox is to deliver Brexit". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  40. ^ Menendez, Elisa (26 September 2019). "MP tells Piers Morgan to go 'f**k yourself' in Twitter spat". Metro. London. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  41. ^ "London Playbook". Politico. London. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  42. ^ "Neil Coyle apologises for foul mouthed twitter rant over rule britannia debate". Southwark News. London. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  43. ^ "Jacob Rees-Mogg branded 'Scrooge' over Unicef comments as MP invites him to help south London children". Evening Standard. London. 18 December 2020. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  44. ^ a b Grylls, George (11 February 2022). "Labour suspends Neil Coyle over 'racist slur' in Commons bar". The Times. London. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  45. ^ Heren, Kit (9 February 2022). "Local MP Neil Coyle barred from Westminster bar for potty-mouthed rant". Southwark News. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  46. ^ a b Dyer, Henry (10 February 2022). "Henry Dyer: A personal statement on my interaction with Neil Coyle". Business Insider. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  47. ^ "Labour MP Neil Coyle apologises after being suspended over alleged racism". ITV News. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  48. ^ "Neil Coyle has Labour whip suspended after alleged racist remarks made against parliamentary reporter". Southwark News. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  49. ^ "Exclusive: Neil Coyle MP opens up about drinking problem". Southwark News. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  50. ^ a b Mason, Rowena (3 March 2023). "Neil Coyle suspended from Commons for five days after 'drunken abuse'". The Guardian. London.
  51. ^ Mitchell, Archie; Forrest, Adam (23 December 2023). "MP suspended for using racist slur claims anti-racism course on expenses". The Independent. London. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  52. ^ a b Brown, Alexander (3 March 2023). "Suspended Labour MP Neil Coyle had sexual harassment complaint upheld over incident at party conference". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023.
  53. ^ "About". Neil Coyle MP. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  54. ^ "Schizophrenia has haunted my mum's life – it's time the Mental Health Act gave her the freedom she deserves". The Independent. London. 25 July 2019. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Bermondsey and Old Southwark
2015–present 		Incumbent
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