A councillor has been suspended for a third time from his political group after he allegedly leaked confidential information.

Labour Councillor Kingsley Abrams, who represents Vassall ward at Lambeth Council, has been accused of passing information to a contact which was then posted on a forum hosted by anti-cuts group Lambeth SOS.

The leaked email, discovered by former group whip Councillor Jack Hopkins and then submitted to council leader Steve Reed, led to Coun Abrams’ suspension at a hearing on Monday, May 21.

Coun Abrams was previously suspended in May 2010 after he was found to have leaked information to the Liberal Democrat group in the run up to the election.

He was also suspended in 2011 after allegations he bullied and intimidated a number of fellow councillors.

At the time, a spokeswoman for Labour said the leak constituted a “serious breach” of party rules.

Commenting on the latest allegations, Labour chief whip Councillor Matthew Bennett said Coun Abrams had been given 14 days to appeal the decision against him.

He said: "The Labour group met to consider a number of allegations regarding Coun Abram's conduct and concluded the allegations, supported by written, video and oral evidence, were serious enough to merit a further suspension from the Labour group.

“It is very unfortunate that someone has chosen to jump the gun and release confidential information before this process has concluded."

But Lambeth’s Liberal Democrats said the move signified “paranoia” in the Labour camp.

A Lib Dem spokesman said: “Internal conflict in the Lambeth Labour group is not our business, but what this shows is how this Labour administration is paranoid about any dissension among its councillors and determined to clamp down on independent thinking within the group.”

Coun Abrams declined to comment.