Embattled Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmoreland Central, George Wright, is seemingly no longer affiliated with the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and will represent the constituency independently—having signalled his intent to withdraw from the organisation on Friday (April 16).

The JLP, in a statement, indicated that a decision was reached following Thursday evening’s high-level meeting with Wright and party general secretary Dr Horace Chang.

“Mr Wright will withdraw from the Government Parliamentary Caucus in light of unresolved allegations circulating in the public domain, which are causing deep concern to many Jamaicans and the Jamaica Labour Party, including its parliamentarians. This means that Wright’s status in Parliament would be that of an independent [MP],” the statement read.

The government caucus of JLP parliamentarians reportedly encouraged Wright to apply for a leave of absence from future sittings of the House of Representatives until the allegations are resolved.

According to Chang, Wright did not share any information relating to the now-viral video, however, the outgoing JLP member contended that the allegations made against him were “of a serious nature and were causing grave concerns” for his role as a parliamentarian.

Chang noted that the accusations were inconsistent with the principles, policies and positions of the Government and the ruling JLP.

For his part, Prime Minister and JLP Leader Andrew Holness noted that violence and abuse is “endemic” to Jamaican society and at epidemic proportions.

“The Government and [JLP] must demonstrate clearly that any act of violence must be unequivocally condemned and totally rejected. As we lead a national campaign against violence, it is important that our national leaders have the credibility and confidence of the people as we ask them to change their behaviours and attitudes,” Holness said.

Wright, who met with detectives at the Freeport Police Station in St James on Wednesday, remains at the centre of a multi-layered investigation after his alleged involvement in a domestic dispute captured on CCTV camera recently.

Reporting to the police in the presence of his attorney, Wright was released without charge.

The video, which went viral on social media platforms on April 12, sparked cries of injustice and Jamaicans demanded Wright be stripped of his duties as an MP, all while he has denied the allegations.