DAN NORRIS ARRESTED

Dan Norris pictured with Keir Starmer

Labour's Dan Norris has been arrested on suspicion of multiple offences including rape and child abduction.  Norris is the outgoing Mayor of the West of England, having already chosen to stand down at the May 1st elections.  He is also the MP for North East Somerset and Hanham, having defeated longstanding Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg in last year's general election.

Avon and Somerset Police arrested Norris on Friday on suspicion of rape, child abduction, sexual offences against a girl and misconduct in a public office.  He has since been released without charge, on conditional bail while the police investigation continues.  Most of the alleged offences are understood to have occurred in the 2000s, but an allegation of rape is much more recent and is alleged to have occurred in the 2020s.

Norris is reported to have previously worked as a child protection officer, trained by the NSPCC.  A BBC biography of him from 2002 reads: "He has been an extremely active campaigner against paedophiles and promotes child safety at every opportunity".  He is also an ambassador for children's charity Kidscape, which specialises in children's safety.  How very interesting...

65-year-old Norris has a long career in the Labour party, having first stood for parliamentary election in 1987.  He was later elected as a Bristol councillor in 1989, before again failing to join the Westminster gravy train in 1992.  He succeeded at the third attempt in 1997 and went on to serve the entire duration of the Blair/Brown governments as MP for the Somerset seat of Wansbeck.

After having lost his Westminster seat in 2010, he went on to work for David Miliband and supported his failed leadership bid.  After a spell in the political wilderness, Norris returned as the triumphant Mayor of the West of England in 2021.  Despite this role - and Keir Starmer's supposed opposition to second jobs - Norris shamelessly got himself selected for the 2024 general election and subsequently rejoined the Westminster gravy train.

Prior to his arrest he had agreed not to seek re-election as West of England Mayor on May 1, and will instead try to serve out his term as the MP for North East Somerset and Halton.  Following news of his arrest, he was immediately suspended from the Labour party and will remain an independent until further notice.