Named: These are the MPs who have been accused of sexual misconduct

56 MPs are reportedly facing sexual misconduct allegations

| UPDATED

In the past three months, there have been six allegations of sexual misconduct and high-profile cases involving MPs. Yesterday, a Tory whip resigned after allegedly drunkenly groping two men, his resignation letter saying he’d “embarrassed myself”. In May this year, a former Tory MP was jailed for 18 months after being convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage boy; it was reported that a senior Tory MP has been accused of spiking four people with date rape drugs; and an unnamed Tory MP was arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault offences over a seven-year period. In April, a former Tory MP resigned, admitting he had watched porn twice in Parliament. When will it stop?

Earlier this year, the Sunday Times revealed 56 MPs are facing allegations of sexual misconduct, after parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme has received around 70 complaints. These complaints reportedly “range from allegations of sexual harassment to more serious wrongdoing”, but the Sunday Times said that in many cases the claims are “yet to be corroborated”.

Here’s a list of MPs whom sexual misconduct allegations have been made against, and what’s happened since them:

Chris Pincher

Tory deputy chief whip Chris Pincher quit yesterday after allegedly groping two men while drunk, The Sun reports.

In his resignation letter, the Tory MP said he’d “embarrassed myself and other people” after he “drank far too much” the night before. The Tab has contacted Pincher for comment.

He is alleged to have groped two fellow guests at members-only club in London. Several Conservative MPs complained to the whips’ office about his behaviour, according to The Sun.

Pincher wrote in his resignation to Boris Johnson: “Last night I drank far too much. I’ve embarrassed myself and other people which is the last thing I want to do and for that I apologise to you and to those concerned. I think the right thing to do in the circumstances is for me to resign as deputy chief whip. I owe it to you and the people I’ve caused upset to, to do this.

“I want to assure you that you will continue to have my full support from the back benches.”

Pincher has been an MP since 2010, and in 2017 quit the whip’s office over allegations, when he was accused of having made an unwanted pass at a Tory activist while dressed in a bathrobe back in 2001. After allegations surfaced, he quit and referred himself to the police. A Tory investigation cleared him of any breach of conduct.

Responding to the recent allegations, the BBC reports a Downing Street source said as things stand he will face no further action from the party and will keep the whip, meaning he will for now remain as a Tory MP.

Imran Ahmad Khan

In May, ex-MP Imran Ahmad Khan was jailed for 18 months after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.

Khan was found guilty of groping the 15-year-old at a party in 2008, 11 years before he became a Conservative MP in 2019. Following the conviction he was expelled by the Conservative party and later stood down as MP two weeks after being found guilty.

The judge said he didn’t accept that Khan had “any remorse” for what he had done, and said the teenager had been “profoundly psychologically affected” by Khan’s actions. He also said there was a “significant degree of brutality” in the lead-up to Khan’s assault on the victim.

Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said: “The only regret you feel is towards yourself for having found yourself in the predicament you face as a result of your actions some 14 years ago.”

The victim, who is now 29, told the court he felt “scared, vulnerable, numb, shocked and surprised” after Khan touched his feet and legs, and was within “a hair’s breadth” of his genitals.

Senior Tory MP

A senior Tory MP has been accused of spiking four people, including two MPs, with date rape drugs, the Mirror was reported in May.

The male MP is alleged to have used the drug on another Conservative MP, who “woke up to find nipples being licked”. It has been alleged that a Labour MP was abused after the man used the drug on him, and the flatmate of another Tory MP told his friends he’d had a similar experience.

A fourth man claimed he had suspicions his drink was spiked, but said he’d rebuffed the MP’s advances.

A Government spokesman told the Mirror: “We take all allegations seriously.”

Unnamed Tory MP

Also in May, it was reported that a serving Tory MP was arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault, for alleged offences across a seven-year period, from 2002-2009. The offences are alleged to have occurred in London.

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 MP has since been released on bail pending further inquiries.

The Tory chief whip, Chris Heaton-Harris, has asked the MP to stay away from Parliament whilst an investigation is ongoing.

A whips office spokesperson said: “Until the conclusion of the investigation we will not be commenting further.”

It was understood the Conservatives will not make a decision on whether the suspect has the whip suspended until after the police investigation is concluded.

Neither the police nor the Conservative party have named the MP, though Labour has argued the MP’s constituents have “a right to know”. The Conservative chief whip has said that suspending the MP, therefore naming him, would endanger the anonymity of the alleged victim/s.

Neil Parish

Former Tory MP Neil Parish resigned in April this year after admitting he had watched porn twice in Parliament. He said it had been a “moment of madness” and said the first time was an accident after he was looking at a tractor website. However, Parish said that the second time, which happened in the House of Commons, was not an accident.

via SWNS

Two female colleagues said they had seen him looking at adult content on his mobile phone. The Conservative party suspended him over the allegations.

Parish told the BBC: “The situation was that funnily enough, it was tractors I was looking at.

“I did get into another website that had a very similar name and I watched it for a bit, which I shouldn’t have done.

“But my crime – biggest crime – is that on another occasion I went in a second time.” According to the BBC, he admitted the second time had been deliberate.

He said what he did “was absolutely totally wrong”, saying: “I will have to live with this for the rest of my life. I made a huge terrible mistake and I’m here to tell the world.”

David Warbuton

The Conservative party removed the whip from MP David Warbuton, amid a series of allegations over sexual harassment and cocaine. He is now an independent MP.

In April, a photo was published in the Times, which is said to be from February and shows Warbuton allegedly sitting with lines of cocaine. It was claimed the image was taken in the home of a younger woman whom Warbuton had met through politics.

He allegedly would not leave the woman’s home. She told the Times she went to put her pyjamas on to encourage him to go, and emerged to allegedly find Warbuton naked. The publication reports: “Warburton allegedly ground his body against hers and groped her breasts. The woman says she lay frozen until the MP fell asleep, snoring loudly.”

At the time, Warbuton said: “I have enormous amounts of defence, but unfortunately the way things work means that doesn’t come out first. I have heard nothing whatsoever from the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme. I’m sorry, I can’t comment any further.”

Charlie Elphicke

In 2020, former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke was jailed for two years for sexually assaulting two women. He was convicted of two charges in relation to a parliamentary worker in 2016, and one charge in relation to a woman at his family’s home in 2007 in central London.

Jurors heard during the trial that his first victim had suffered a “terrifying episode” when he assaulted her, then chased her round his home chanting: “I’m a naughty Tory”. At the sentencing, the judge called him “a sexual predator who used […] success and respectability as a cover”. Elphicke was released in 2021, halfway through his sentence, and was also ordered to pay £35,000 within a year towards the costs of the prosecution.

Rob Roberts

In 2021, Tory MP Rob Roberts was found by an independent panel to have sexually harassed a member of his staff. It found he made repeated and unwanted sexual advances towards someone in his office.

The panel said he committed a “serious and persistent breach of the sexual misconduct policy”. Its report said Roberts had taken “positive steps” to improve his behaviour, but had “demonstrated limited insight into the nature of his misconduct”.

Roberts had his party membership suspended for 12 weeks and was banned from the House of Commons for six weeks. He was then readmitted to the Conservative party as a member, but still had the whip withdrawn, meaning he is now an independent MP.

Mike Hill

This month, an employment tribunal ordered former Labour MP Mike Hill to pay £434,435 to a woman whom repeatedly sexually assaulted and harassed. In July 2021, an employment tribunal found Hill had got into the her bed, and sexually assaulted her in his parliamentary office.

Hill was in breach of the Equalities Act in subjecting the claimant “to unwanted conduct of a sexual nature”. Hill resigned as a Labour MP in March 2021 and has denied the allegations.

Andrew Griffiths

In 2021, ex-Tory MP Andrew Griffiths was found by a family court judge to have raped and physically abused his wife, as well as using “coercive and controlling behaviour”. His now-ex wife, Kate, is a serving Conservative MP.

The judge said Kate had “proved in her oral evidence to me” that Griffiths “did rape her when sexual intercourse took place”. She said rapes had begun whilst she was asleep, and also gave accounts of “physical abuse”. Griffiths said he denied the allegations and “adamantly denied” rape.

Griffiths resigned from government in 2018 after allegations that he had sent “depraved” messages to two female constituents.

If you or someone you know has been affected by this story contact Refuge on their free 24/7 helpline 0808 2000 247 or contact Rape Crisis online for a free confidential chat helpline.

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Featured image (before edits) background via Marcin Nowak/Unsplash, overlays via UK Parliament/Creative Commons (L) and SWNS (R)