COMMONS SHOCK AS TORY MP IS ARRESTED FOR RAPE
A TORY MP has been arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual offences spanning seven years in the latest scandal to hit Westminster.
The serving MP in his 50s, who last night remained in custody, allegedly committed the offences between 2002 and 2009 in London.
He was also arrested on allegations of indecent assault, abuse of a position of trust and misconduct in a public office, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Tory party whips have asked the unnamed MP to stay away from Parliament while the investigation is being carried out.
But unions last night said he should be formally suspended to protect staff.
Scotland Yard said in a statement: ‘A man was arrested on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of
trust and misconduct in a public office.’
The Metropolitan Police said the alleged sexual offences will be investigated by the Central Specialist Crime unit.
The force first received a report regarding the allegations in January 2020 and have conducted a two-year probe into the claims, they added.
Conservative Party Chief Whip Chris Heaton-Harris has asked the MP to stay away from Parliament during the probe.
A whips office spokesman said: ‘The Chief Whip has asked that the MP concerned does not attend the Parliamentary Estate while an investigation is ongoing.
‘Until the conclusion of the investigation we will not be commenting further.’
It is understood that a decision on whether or not the MP should keep the party whip will be reviewed once the police investigation has concluded.
But the Prospect trade union, which represents hundreds of parliamentary staff, yesterday said that the request for the arrested MP to stay away from the Commons is not good enough.
Garry Graham, deputy general secretary, said: ‘This news comes just weeks after an MP was found guilty of sexual abuse against a child and is the latest in a series of arrests and convictions of politicians for sexual offences.
‘What will it take for Parliament to finally take its responsibility to its staff and visitors seriously and suspend access to the estate for parliamentarians under investigation for sexual offences?
‘Voluntary agreements to stay away do not work, as demonstrated by Imran Ahmad Khan’s attendance at Westminster whilst investigations were ongoing, despite agreeing to stay away.
‘Parliament has the same responsibilities towards its staff as any other workplace and it must live up to them.’
The arrest comes after Parliament was rocked by a fresh scandal following a series of shocking cases.
Khan resigned as the Tory MP for Wakefield after last month being convicted of molesting a teenage boy.
Somerton and Frome Conservative MP David Warburton was suspended following sexual harassment allegations.
Overall, around 50 serving MPs said to have been referred to Parliament’s authorities over sex assault claims.
The arrest came on the day the Conservatives officially triggered by-election contests to replace two MPs.
A contest in Wakefield is set to follow Khan’s resignation.
Tory Neil Parish quit his Tiverton and Honiton seat after he admitted watching pornography in the Commons.
Farmer Mr Parish first said that he accidentally viewed one Xrated video when browsing for sites about tractors, before later deliberately viewing the material in the Commons chamber.
In 2020, former Dover Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke was sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of three counts of sexual assault against two women. He was convicted in relation to a parliamentary worker in 2016 and a woman at his family’s London home in 2007.
And last year, ex-Labour MP Mike Hill resigned from the Hartlepool seat he had held for only four years.
He stepped down after a former parliamentary worker alleged that he sexually harassed and bullied her over a 16-month period, groping her and rubbing himself against her.
The Tory MP’s arrest threatened to overshadow the Government’s ‘crime week’, with Boris Johnson telling yesterday’s Cabinet meeting: ‘Crime, crime, crime is what we want to focus on.’
The PM said that sexual and domestic violence victims needed to know the Government was on their side, before adding: ‘We want to see more rapists brought to justice.’
In the last crime week last December, Mr Johnson faced allegations of Covid rule-breaking by his Downing Street team.
Allegra Stratton, his adviser, quit after a video emerged of her laughing about an ‘illegal’ party in Number 10 during lockdown.
Mr Johnson also faced questions over whether he misled a probe into donations for refurbishments to his Downing Street flat after the Electoral Commission fined the Tories £17,800.
Last night there was no answer at the arrested MP’s home.
A person who answered the phone at his constituency office said: ‘I’m sorry we have got no information at all’, before putting the phone down.
Conservative sources declined to identify the MP.
A Speaker’s Office spokesman declined to comment.
‘Crime is what we want to focus on’