He was bailed without charge, pending further inquiries. The former attorney general revealed before the vote he was going to rebel, and has previously said he would stop a no-deal Brexit even if it means Jeremy Corbyn becomes prime minister. Online Safety Bill to return as soon as possible. Before having the whip removed, "Spreadsheet Phil", as he was known while chancellor, said he would explore legal action should he be removed as a Conservative MP. Boris Johnson's aim of uniting his party over Brexit has suffered a number of blows in his first week in parliament, as ministers resigned and he sacked 21 of his own MPs, losing his slim majority. Allies suggested the former farmer may have been looking for a brand of combine harvester, known as a Dominator. Mr Bhatti quit his role with a statement that "recent events have undermined trust and standards in public life". Click here to get The Sun newspaper delivered for FREE for the next six weeks. pic.twitter.com/vZ1APB1ik1, In his first morning round of interviews after the newly appointed Chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi told Tom Swarbrick at Breakfast on LBC this morning that he didn't believe Mr Sunak and Mr Javid took a 'coward's way out.'. (Pool/AFP) Boris Johnson has won his confidence vote, with a majority of Conservative MPs deciding to stick with the Prime Minister. The most high-profile of the resignations from outside of the Cabinet, Mr Chalk said that he could not "defend the indefensible". To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Former Conservative minister Andrew Griffiths was found to have raped and abused his wife by a family court judge. Garry Graham, its deputy general secretary, said: "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? LBC News Picture: Getty The legislature at Stormont has been closed since February 2022 as Irish republicans Sinn Fein and the conservative Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refuse to share power over Northern Ireland. Will the Lockdown Files change Westminsters WhatsApp ways? But the case collapsed and Aitken admitted lying during the libel case. Mr Green said he was sorry if she felt uncomfortable, But he added: But I should emphasise again as I have done throughout that I didnt believe I did anything inappropriate, still dont.". The Prime Minister added: "I want to say to him that I abhor bullying and abuse of power anywhere in Parliament, in this party or in any other party.". Before the vote he said he knew he could have have the whip removed but had not been directly threatened. Tory MP Robert Halfon also submitted a letter of no confidence in the PM. The sentencing judge described him as a sexual predator who used his success and respectability as a cover and told a pack of lies. John Jeremy Thorpe served as a member of parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979 and was the leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976. Announcing the news on Twitter she wrote: "It is with great sadness that I have tendered my resignation today as a Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.". In a tweet she said: "It is with a heavy heart that I have this morning tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister. A former U.K. Conservative MP has been jailed for 18 months for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy. The growing group of independent MPs now face a difficult decision of whether to run again as independent candidates, retire, or join another party. The Prime Minister's resigning, the pound's dropping off a cliff and everybody is asking what the hell is going on. He had the whip restored later that year ahead of a crunch vote in Theresa May's leadership. Imran Ahmad Khan resigned as a Tory MP after last month being convicted of molesting a teenage boy. Mr Sunak will. ", Read more: 'It was the wrong thing to do': PM admits it was a 'mistake' to promote Pincher. Mr Roberts admitted he had asked a male member of Parliamentary staff to dinner in the hope of striking up a personal relationship" but said he recognised this was "completely improper". Political reporter At PMQs after Mr Johnson was hit by 17 resignations from Government, Sir Keir said the desertions from Government were like "sinking ships deserting the rat" accusing MPs who stick by the PM as having no "self respect". ", He added: "Parliament has the same responsibilities towards its staff as any other workplace and it must live up to them. The MP was carrying out a constituency surgery at a community centre in south Belfast. A cabinet minister three times over, the Putney MP confirmed hours before the vote she would go against the government and would also stand down as an MP at the next election. A small Irish republican group, the Irish National Liberation Army, subsequently claimed responsibility. A male Tory MP in his 50s, who has not been named, was arrested in May on suspicion of rape and sexual assault offences between 2002 and 2009. ", Asked how anyone can 'trust a word' that comes out of Downing Street, Mr Zahawi said: "I trust the word of a PM who is big enough to come out and apologise.". 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. One of two former chancellors to vote against the government, for the Father of the House and current longest-serving MP to risk losing the whip after 49 years was a momentous occasion. Thank you for meeting with me yesterday evening and for your sincere apology regarding the briefings I received from No 10 ahead of Monday's media round, which we now know to be inaccurate. Pincher resigned from his senior role enforcing party discipline after admitting he embarrassed myself and others when he drank far too much at the Carlton Club on Wednesday night. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. The former Home Secretary, and prominent Remain supporter, was another odd choice for the Johnson cabinet, having previously suggested she would break unity in Mrs May's top team to vote against no-deal. An MP for two different constituencies for a total of 32 years, he said he will not stand at the next election as he believes it is "unfair" to present constituents with a "conflict of interest between my views and those of the party". "He knew the accused minister had previously committed predatory behaviour but he promoted him to a position of power anyway. Conservative grievances with Mr Johnson have been mounting since a different row over standards in public life and Mr Johnson's handling of the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal. Updated: 8:57, 18 May 2022 A TORY MP has been arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault offences, The Sun can reveal. A jury at Southwark Crown Court heard how he forced the then teenager to drink gin and tonic and asked him to watch pornography before the attack at a house in Staffordshire following a party. The senior Tory resigned as Defence Secretary after admitting his behaviour had fallen below the high standards required. The government had been facing defeat, with Labour also supporting the move. He eviscerated the Cabinet, describing them as a "Z list cast of nodding dogs". Hyndburn Tory backbencher Sara Britcliffe spent a week on the slopes in Davos-Klosters in Switzerland at the beginning of January. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Ms Donelan said the government would also take steps to tackle the advertising of small boat Channel crossings on social media, in response to calls led by Tory MP Natalie Elphicke, who represents Dover. As Channel 4reported, the jailing of so many MPs led to the startling statistic" that in 2011, while 0.13 per cent of the general population was in jail, a shocking 0.61 per cent of House of Commons members were in prison. The Tory MP for Somerton and Frome had the Conservative whip withdrawn in April after allegations of sexual harassment and cocaine use emerged. The great great-grandson of former prime minister Lord Salisbury said after days of difficult contemplation he could not vote for a situation that would harm his less well-off constituents. ET . The Conservative MP dramatically resigned from his post in 1995 after The Guardian and Granada TVs World in Actionrevealed that a Saudi businessman had paid for a stay at the Paris Ritz hotel in breach of ministerial rules, reported the BBC at the time. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. However he admitted "my crime - biggest crime - is that on another occasion I went in a second time". "The PM is right to apologise. The Sunday Times reported that two women had made formal complaints to Parliament's Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) about Mr Warburton's behaviour and a third woman had also made allegations about his conduct. He said his former job means he knows "the harm that an abrupt no-deal Brexit would do to our country and to my constituents" and voted knowing what the personal consequences were. The former MP invited a female worker at Westminster to live in his one-bed flat and texted her saying I also crave your body, investigators ruled. It is the third time that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has backed down in the face of rebellious backbenchers since taking power in October. You can WhatsApp us on 07423 720 250. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. In 1979, he found himself at the centre of the trial of the century when he was accused of conspiring to murder his former gay lover, Norman Scott, in what the BBC described as a bizarre, ill-fated plot. However, I fear I have let these override my judgement recently. The vote of confidence last month showed that a large number of our colleagues agree. "The fact of this matter have only come to light after the previous vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister so stop then members of parliament voted to retain the Prime Minister without knowing what we know now. Use the Global Player app to listen to live radio for LBC & LBC News. King tweeted to her 220,000 followers. Tory leadership PA Media Voting has closed in the final Tory MPs' ballot to select the two leadership candidates to be put to a vote of party members. A Conservative MP has been arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault offences spanning a seven-year period. Listen to In 2016, Labour MP Keith Vaz came under police investigation over charges he offered to buy cocaine for two male escorts, reported The Guardian. One of the leading figures of the Tory rebel group, the West Dorset MP moved the motion to enable the Commons to discuss legislation designed to extend the Brexit process beyond 31 October. By Alix Culbertson and Rebecca Taylor, news reporters. "I genuinely think this is not the time to divide, this is the time to come together and deliver for the country. 3:32 p.m. The former junior health minister said that during a private meeting with Mr Johnson on Monday he explained there needed to be a "safe exit" from the EU - which means leaving with a deal. However, she remained an MP until her conviction, earning her the dubious honour of becoming the first sitting member of parliament in nearly three decades to be jailed, reported the BBC. It is the second time Mr Pincher has quit the whips' office, having resigned as a junior whip in November 2017 following a complaint that he made an unwanted pass at the former Olympic rower and Conservative candidate Alex Story. A third allegation - that Mr Hill victimised and discriminated against the woman in the workplace because she made the other allegations - was not upheld. Who needs to 'step up' to keep kids safe online? Furious MPs and commentators are enraged as speculation mounts that Tony Blair could be taking over from Klaus Schwab as head of the World Economic Forum. These include a statement on 8 December 2021 no rules or guidance had been broken in Number 10. The Tories will decide whether to suspend him from the party when the investigation concludes. He was also accused of behaving inappropriately towards journalist Kate Maltby, who claimed he briefly touched her knee in a pub and texted her asking for a drink after seeing a picture of her in a corset in a newspaper. He then went to the police when Khan became an MP. I have hurt those I care about most.". He said he was "deeply saddened" by the decision to remove the whip from him and simply tweeted: "#Vexit.". "Isn't this the first recorded case of the sinking ships fleeing the rats.". ", Speaking to Talk TV, Mr Afolami announced that he too would have to step down, adding: "I just don't think the Prime Minister any longer has, not just my support, but he doesn't have, I don't think, the support of the party, or indeed the country any more.". A staunch opponent of a no-deal Brexit, the Watford MP resigned from the government to vote for an amendment in March which meant MPs would take control of Commons' Brexit business. Although he was not a minister at the time, his decision to leave wiped out the Tory majority of one. Parish lost the whip in the wake of the revelations but initially said he intended to remain as an MP while the allegations against him were investigated. In a letter calling for Mr Johnson to resign, Mr Murrison quit his job, saying that the PM's position had become "unrecoverable". The Eddisbury MP told Sky News before the vote she felt "so strongly about this that I'm prepared to put my job on the line for my constituents". Former chancellors, Winston Churchill's grandson and the current longest-serving MP were among those sacked from the Conservative Party on 4 September for rebelling against the government in a bid to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Sir Keir Starmer said Tory MPs sticking by the scandal-hit PM were like 'the charge of the lightweight brigade' as he launched a stinging attack on Boris Johnson as he clings to power. May 23, 2022 5:12 pm CET. All rights reserved. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Our people know that if something is too good to be true then it's not true. "Reaching this decision has not been easy. The 41-year-old had been the Labour MP for Batley and Spen for just over a year when she was repeatedly shot and stabbed by Thomas Mair a social recluse in Birstall, in her West Yorkshire constituency. Having referred himself to both the police and the Conservative Party complaints procedure, he was brought back by Theresa May as deputy chief whip in January 2018. He was killed by a failed businessman who blamed the prime minister for 7,000 he had lost in a dispute over a Russian debt. Sir Michael Fallon became one of the most high-profile casualties of the Westminster sexual harassment scandal in November 2017. He added: "I firmly believe the public are ready to hear that truth. Scotland Yard confirmed in a statement that a man aged in his 50s has been . A loyal Tory and MP for the Surrey constituency of Runnymede and Weybridge for 22 years, he has promised Mr Johnson the "fight of a lifetime" if he is not allowed to stand at the next election. Emily Sheffield Ex-Labour MP David Chaytor was jailed for 18 months for fraudulently claiming more than 18,000, Labours Jim Devine was jailed for 16 months for claiming more than 8,000 and former Labour environment minister Elliot Morley was jailed for claiming 31,000. A whips office spokesperson said: "The Chief Whip has asked that the MP concerned does not attend the Parliamentary Estate while an investigation is ongoing. A former health minister, the Wimbledon MP was sacked last year from his role as Conservative vice-chairman for London for voting for a legal guarantee of a final Brexit deal. "He has now been bailed to a date in mid-June, pending further inquiries. The farmer later claimed that on the first occasion, he had been trying to look at pictures of tractors before accidentally clicking on an adult website.