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A number of lay officials of Unite the Union have been suspended from office after appearing in a video supporting Julie Morgan’s campaign to be elected deputy leader of Welsh Labour.

Ms Morgan, the AM for Cardiff North, and Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris are contesting the election , whose result will be announced at the party’s annual conference later this month.

Under Welsh Labour’s electoral college voting system, unions and other affiliated organisations have one third of the total votes in the deputy leadership contest.

Unite missed the deadline for formal nominations, but a handful of officials decided the union should back Ms Harris and have recommended that members vote for her.

But many are instead supporting Ms Morgan, who has been a member of Unite and its predecessor union for more than 30 years.

Some Unite members, including at least three lay officials, have appeared on a video backing the AM. The lay officials have now received individual letters from Unite Wales Secretary Andy Richards telling them they are suspended from office pending a disciplinary inquiry.

We have seen a letter from Mr Richards to one of the officials which states: “I write to advise that we have received complaints against you concerning alleged breaches of conduct, the potential seriousness of which must be investigated in accordance with our rules.”

Mr Richards went on to list three complaints: “That you have allowed yourself to appear in a video used by an outside organisation which made unauthorised use of the Unite and Unite Wales logo.

“That you have allowed yourself to appear in a video used by an outside organisation which featured an attack upon Unite’s balanced energy policy which contravenes our rules and jeopardises our members’ jobs.

“That you have allowed yourself to appear in a video used by an outside orgainsation which publicly voiced support for a candidate in an election who is opposing a Unite sponsored candidate.”

The second point is understood to refer to Ms Morgan’s support for a nuclear-free Wales.

Mr Richards said a disciplinary investigation would be led by Deputy Wales Secretary Gareth Jones.

The letter told the official concerned they were suspended from representing Unite or its members “with immediate effect”.

A Unite member who is a friend of some of the suspended officials said: “This is a very worrying turn of events. Members have every right to have their say.”

A spokeswoman for Julie Morgan’s campaign team said: “We are shocked by this.”

Earlier Ms Morgan’s team had received a solicitor’s letter demanding they remove the Unite logo from a campaign video, which they did.