An unnamed Conservative MP who is facing rape and sexual assault allegations will not attend Parliament while the police investigate.
The MP’s identity remains anonymous but is known to be a man in his fifties.
The male MP was arrested on Tuesday over rape and sexual assault allegations dating from 2002 to 2009 and has been released on bail pending further enquiries until mid-June.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement confirming the arrest: “In January 2020, the Met received a report relating to alleged sexual offences having been committed between 2002 and 2009. The offences are alleged to have occurred in London.
“An investigation is ongoing, led by officers from Central Specialist Crime. A man, aged in his 50s, was arrested on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of trust and misconduct in public office.
“He was taken into custody and has since been bailed pending further enquiries to a date in mid-June.”
Now, Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has said that the accused will not attend Parliament while the investigation is ongoing, after the Tory chief whip asked them to stay away.
The Conservatives are facing pressure from Labour to remove the whip from the accused and suspend them from the parliamentary party, which would mean their identity would be publicly known.
However, in addressing the Commons, Sir Lindsay warned MPs not to name the accused and said that it would “be wholly inappropriate for any further reference to be made to this matter in the House”.
Sir Lindsay also said that he took “the safety of our staff and parliamentary community as a whole very seriously” and this formed part of the reason why the accused will stay away as the police carry out their work.
Labour’s own shadow minister for safeguarding, Jess Phillips, has warned that naming individuals facing such accusations is a sensitive issue and a "trial by media" ought to be avoided.
Phillips said: “If I was a constituent in this MP's or any of the previous cases of MPs' constituencies, I might feel I had a right to know. Because there's nothing that can stop them seeing their constituents completely in private.
“But that is a finely balanced thing and what you don't want is trial by media.”
Media organisations are not disclosing the identity of the accused at present, after the Supreme Court moved earlier this year to strengthen the right to privacy for anyone arrested and facing investigation but still to be charged with any wrongdoing.
Parliament is not required to publicly identify the man either, and the police are unlikely to reveal their identity unless they are charged with an offence.
Photo by Ugur Akdemir on Unsplash
