Tory MP banned from parliament after being detained on suspicion of rape

A Conservative MP has been detained on rape and sexual assault charges. The Metropolitan Police said a man in his fifties was being held in custody on allegations dating from 2002 to 2009.

The whips of the anonymous MP have asked him not to attend parliament while a police inquiry is continuing.

“In January 2020, the Met received a report relating to alleged sexual offences committed between 2002 and 2009,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson stated. The alleged offences took place in London.

“An investigation is ongoing, led by officers from Central Specialist Crime. A man, aged in his fifties, was arrested on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of trust, and misconduct in public office. He remains in custody.”

The arrest comes just weeks after another batch of “Pestminster” claims against serving MPs shook Westminster. They resulted in the resignation of one Conservative MP, Neil Parish, who acknowledged to watching pornography in the Commons chamber.

Imran Ahmad Khan, a disgraced former Conservative MP, resigned last month after being convicted of sexually abusing a 15-year-old child. His victim said that he had warned the Conservative Party before Mr. Khan was elected to the House of Commons, but that his warnings had gone unheeded.

According to reports, three cabinet ministers were among 56 MPs accused of sexual misbehaviour and submitted to parliament’s sleaze watchdog. The Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme was established in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement and a prior round of claims against legislators, which gave rise to the moniker “Pestminster.”

A Conservative Whips’ Office spokesperson 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.”

However, Garry Graham, deputy general secretary of the Prospect union, questioned “what will it take” for MPs accused of major crimes to be formally barred from sitting in parliament.

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