Gay bishop vote is halted

The election of the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican church was dramatically halted last night after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him.

Hours before the Episcopal Church in the US was expected to approve the Reverend Gene Robinson as the new bishop of New Hampshire, officials ordered an investigation into a report that he had inappropriately touched a church member during a meeting several years ago.

It was also revealed that Mr Robinson, who lives with his male partner, had founded a group for gay, lesbian and "questioning" teenagers that included a link to pornography on its website.

The accusation was made in an email to the meeting of bishops by David Lewis, a member of the congregation in Manchester, Vermont. He claimed to have been sexually harassed by Mr Robinson who "put his hands on me inappropriately every time I engaged him in conversation". The House of Bishops said it would halt the election to investigate the allegations.

Concerns were also raised about "Outright", an organisation for gay teenagers founded by Mr Robinson. A link to a pornographic website was removed only days before the election.