Labour candidate denies sexual harassment allegation and withdraws from election race
- Labour candidate Darren Rodwell has withdrawn from the election race after being accused of sexual harassment.
- Rodwell vehemently refutes the allegations highlighted by The Independent.
- The allegations have led to his decision to step back from the political campaign.
Councillor Darren Rodwell, the leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, said he did nothing wrong. He won't run in the upcoming election. A woman who says Mr. Rodwell behaved inappropriately met him for coffee at an event. She thought they would talk about a project in Barking. Instead, he touched her in a way that made her uncomfortable. She left the meeting right away. The woman's complaint will be looked into by an investigator. Mr. Rodwell stated that the Labour Party is not investigating any complaints against him. However, he decided to step back from running for the election to focus on his family. There were doubts about whether Labour would approve his candidacy. The party's National Executive Committee did not include him on the list of candidates. They said there were still processes to finish. Mr. Rodwell believes the allegations are a way to stop him from being chosen as Labour's candidate. He is ready to address the complaint and is talking to lawyers. He wants the process to be quick so he can continue with his candidacy. He has been known for building many new homes in his area and has been seen at football games with Sir Keir Starmer. A report from the BBC mentioned that Mr. Rodwell's office asked the police not to respond if contacted by a resident he planned to visit. This was related to a Facebook page that he felt was trying to harm him. He said he found out where the person lived and informed the police not to worry if they got a call from that address.