UK Parliament suspends Indian-origin Labour MP Keith Vaz for 6 months

The UK Parliament on Thursday suspended one of Britain's longest-serving Indian-origin MPs Keith Vaz for six months after he was found to have "expressed willingness" to purchase cocaine for male prostitutes.

MPs approved the suspension after the Parliament Standards Committee concluded in its report that the 62-year-old Goan-origin Labour Party MP for Leicester East had "disregarded" the law when he "expressed willingness" to purchase cocaine for male prostitutes.

In a strongly-worded report earlier this week, the Commons watchdog said there was "convincing evidence" that Vaz was "evasive or unhelpful" during an investigation into his conduct.

The Labour Party said it accepted the suspension recommendation, describing it as a "sad day for us".