It was such a shocking thing.. I was in cold sweat ..it was mortifying Parliamentarian opens up about ‘attack’ in bar
A SCOTTISH Tory MP accused of sexually assaulting a Labour parliamentarian in a Westminster bar has quit as a General Election candidate.
Labour MP Paul Sweeney said “predatory” Ross Thomson left him feeling “mortified” after he allegedly tried to put his hand down his trousers.
In a statement yesterday, Thomson described the claim as a “politically motivated” smear but said he had decided not to seek re-election.
He said: “I always believed politics was about noble pursuits and doing what you believed to be best for your country. My experience is that our politics is now so poisonous that we will never attract good, honest and decent people in the first place.
“I have therefore made the most difficult decision that I could ever make. I have decided that I will stand down as the Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate for Aberdeen South.”
Thomson’s announcement came after his former civil partner, Douglas Mathewson, backed Sweeney, who spoke out yesterday about the alleged assault.
Douglas tweeted: “A really brave action by Paul Sweeney and one that must have been difficult.
“As expected, the accused is talking him down but this has to be expected as his default position.
“To date, I have never seen an apology for the number of incidents linked to or caused by this individual.”
We revealed earlier this year that Thomson, who won Aberdeen South for the Tories in the June 2017 election, had been accused by an unnamed MP of unwanted physical contact in the Strangers’ Bar in Westminster.
Speaking exclusively to the Record yesterday, Sweeney revealed why he has now put his name to the allegations.
The Glasgow North East MP said: “When I spoke to the Record anonymously about this assault back in February, I did so believing that the parliamentary authorities would take prompt action, given the number of witnesses to it and the startling similarity to the claims made by other men about a separate incident earlier that month.
“However, nine months on from reporting the assault, I am disappointed that voters will be asked to give their verdict on Ross Thomson before that investigation has concluded.
“I’ve waived my anonymity because justice has not been done.”
He told another newspaper that
Thomson, an ally of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, had “drunkenly” intruded on his conversation with a group of old friends from Glasgow University.
Sweeney said the Tory MP was “drunk to the point where he was barely able to stand up”, after which he allegedly fondled him and tried to thrust a hand down his trousers.
He said: “I felt paralysed. It was such a shocking thing. I was in a cold sweat, it was mortifying. Nobody knew where to look at the table. It’s embarrassing.”
Sweeney said the alleged incident had seriously impacted on his working life and he felt uncomfortable having a Westminster office on the same corridor as Thomson.
He added that he was frustrated at the slow progress of the Parliamentary Standards Commission’s investigation.
Thomson, who had been preparing for his re-election campaign, said the allegations were “false and defamatory”, adding: “Anonymous and malicious allegations this year have made my life a living hell. It has been nothing short of traumatic.
“I have suffered a level of personal abuse that has affected my health, my mental well-being and my staff. It has been a level of abuse that I never imagined possible.”
He said of his decision to quit: “This has been without doubt the hardest decision of my life. I remain confident that the ongoing parliamentary standards process will find in my favour and that these baseless claims will be shown up for what they are.
“I will continue to explore all options available to me in response to the defamatory and damaging allegations made by Mr Sweeney.”
Thomson was accused earlier this year of groping other men in the same bar. A witness said: “Someone walked into the toilets and came across him grabbing someone by the genitals.”
“He started groping young men who had guest passes on – grabbing their backside and genitals and trying to put his hands down people’s pants.” Thomson also denies these claims. After those initial allegations came to light, his ex Douglas said it was a “good insight into why we are no longer together”.