PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT has suspended its general election candidate for Galway West Joe Loughnane from the party with immediate effect. 

Loughnane is one of two Solidarity-People Before Profit candidates running in Galway West. He previously contested the May 2019 local elections, losing out on a seat. 

Earlier today, he issued an apology on Twitter after another Twitter user accused him of smashing her phone “for not giving him my password”. 

Loughnane said the incident had happened last year. He apologised to the woman on Twitter for what he described as “extremely bad behaviour”.

People Before Profit has said it is aware of “a situation regarding our Galway candidate” and announced his suspension from the party. 

“I have and will do everything I can to rectify this situation. This matter is being taken very seriously,” Loughnane tweeted today.  

He confirmed to TheJournal.ie that he will be “fully complying with disciplinary proceedings” by the party and that he will be making a statement in full later this evening. 

Conor Burke is the second Solidarity-People Before Profit candidate in Galway West. 

Although the party runs candidates on the ballot paper under the same party name, Burke has run his campaign as a Solidarity candidate and Loughnane as People Before Profit. 

The party is also running a candidate Kenny Tynan in the Roscommon-Galway constituency, but none in Galway East.