Embattled Labor MP Anthony Byrne has quit as deputy chair of federal parliament’s powerful intelligence and security committee.

Mr Byrne earlier in the week admitted he paid for other people’s ALP memberships during a inquiry by Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission into branch stacking.

The Victorian MP resigned from the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, which he deputy chaired, on Thursday.

“The work of the PJCIS is crucial to Australia’s national security and its integrity should never be questioned,” Mr Byrne said in a statement.

“I have always put the work of this bipartisan committee first and have always served in its best interests.”

He said he would continue to fully co-operate with the IBAC inquiry and not make further comment while proceedings continued.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese, who accepted Mr Byrne’s decision to resign from the committee, said he had not spoken to the MP since his admission.

But he has so far resisted calls to expel him from the party.

“We’ll wait while the hearings are going on,” Mr Albanese told 2GB radio.

“Halfway through people’s testimonies, you don’t reach a verdict.

“We will deal with the issues when we have all of the information [from the public hearing].”

-AAP