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Dan Norris, Labor MP and mayor of western England, was arrested for suspicion of sexual offenses and rape.
The Labor Party said that he had suspended the deputy for the northeast of Somerset and Hanham on Saturday after learning his arrest.
Avon and Somerset police said that a man in sixties had been arrested on Friday and had since been released on conditional surety.
The force said in a statement: “In December 2024, we received a reference from another police force relating to alleged non -recent sexual offenses that were committed against a girl. Most of the offenses would have taken place in the 2000s, but we are also investigating an alleged rape offense of the 2020s.”
The investigation, led by the rape investigation team and the serious sexual assault of the Force, is underway and “at an early stage,” added the press release, according to the Press Association. “The victim is supported and has access to any specialized assistance or support he needs.”
A labor spokesman said: “Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labor party after being informed of his arrest.”
The party said that he could not comment more during an ongoing police investigation. Norris has lost the parliamentary whip, according to people familiar with the issue.
Norris was elected for the first time to the House of Commons as a deputy for Wansdyke, Somerset, in 1997 and served this constituency for 13 years before losing the seat in 2010. He was appointed Minister of Rural Affairs by Gordon Brown during his ministry of the ministry.
In 2021, he was elected mayor to the west of England, before returning to Parliament in a riding of Somerset redesigned in the general elections last July.
His arrest was reported for the first time by SUN on Sunday.
Norris did not immediately respond to the request for comments.
