MP facing new probe
Witness submits official complaint to watchdog over bar groping claim
TORY MP Ross Thomson could lose his job after he was reported to Westminster’s standards commissioner over claims he drunkenly groped men in a Parliament bar.
He faces being suspended and the threat of a by-election in his Aberdeen South seat following the complaint.
Witnesses claim the Brexiteer had been ‘groping young men’ in their 20s and 30s who were guests at Westminster by ‘grabbing their backside and genitals’.
He was removed from Strangers’ Bar by police after concerns were raised last Tuesday.
Mr Thomson has denied the allegations and referred himself for an internal Conservative Party investigation.
But outraged by his denial, a witness has submitted an official complaint to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
Yesterday, a source said: ‘A complaint has been submitted. The person saw it but was not involved in the incident.
‘The comment Ross put out last week was ill-advised. He has denied something that a packed bar saw.’
It is understood the complaint has been submitted by a Westminster researcher who was in the bar. According to a source, the bar was very busy and a number of people witnessed the incident – including several of Mr Thomson’s Tory colleagues.
Following changes to the rules surrounding complaints to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, all cases are kept anonymous, with officials refusing to confirm they had received correspondence regarding Mr Thomson. The complaint will be dealt with by the commissioner, Kathryn Stone, who will first decide if there is a case to probe.
The commissioner has the power to trigger sanctions such as a suspension, calling for an apology or insisting on training for the member involved.
Serious concerns are passed to the committee of standards which, if a suspension of ten consecutive days or more is recommended, can look at a recall. The process of recall can lead to a by-election in the MP’s area and is also a way of forcing members to resign.
A by-election is called if 10 per cent of the electorate in a constituency sign the recall petition.
Mr Thomson said: ‘A series of serious allegations have been made against me that have featured in the media. These allegations from anonymous sources are false. No complaint has been made to the police, Parliament or the Conservative Party.’
Catriona Matheson, head of communications for the SNP, said: ‘This is a jaw-dropping statement from Ross Thomson. It was the talk of Parliament yesterday because the bar was packed and there were multiple eye-witnesses. I spoke to several people who were horrified by what they saw.’
Mr Thomson did not respond to requests for comment.
The Conservative Party declined to comment.