Boris Johnson defends refusal to suspend Tory MP accused of rape
Boris Johnson has defended the Conservative party’s refusal to suspend the Tory MP accused of rape.
The unnamed former minister was arrested at the weekend after a former parliamentary aide accused him of rape.
Speaking for the first time about the case on Thursday, the prime minister stressed it was right to wait to see whether the MP was charged before deciding whether to suspend him.
The Tories have faced growing calls to withdraw the whip from the MP, who has been released on bail while police investigations continue. However, the chief whip, Mark Spencer, has resisted such a move, which would mean the MP’s suspension from the party.
Asked during a visit to Warrington on Thursday whether he was confident it was the right decision not to remove the whip, Johnson told reporters: “I think it’s very, very important that we take all these cases extremely seriously and we will continue to do so.
“I think we’ve got to wait for the police to decide whether they want to make charges and take a decision on that basis.”
The parliamentary aide has accused the MP of assaulting her, forcing her to have sex and leaving her so traumatised she had to go to hospital.
The woman, who is in her 20s, is understood to have first raised her allegations with Spencer in April but claims he did not take any action. It is understood that Spencer denies the woman made any allegations of a sexual nature but acknowledges she reported “abusive behaviour and threats”. He is also understood to have advised her to go to the independent complaints and grievance scheme.
The complainant has contacted the police, alleging rape, violent sexual assault and coercive control. She reported four incidents, alleged to have taken place between July 2019 and January 2020, in Westminster, Lambeth and Hackney. The MP was taken into custody in east London early on Saturday and released on bail to a date later this month.
On Tuesday, a coalition of charities and trade unions – including Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis England & Wales, the Fawcett Society, as well as the TUC and Unite – added to the pressure on the Tories, not only urging them to withdraw the whip but also asking Commons authorities to suspend the MP from parliament so he cannot enter the estate.
In a joint statement, they said: “Given the seriousness of the allegations we’re calling on parliament to suspend the MP arrested on suspicion of rape, pending a full investigation. The House of Commons should be no different from any other workplace.
“Safety and the safeguarding of staff must be paramount. Failure to suspend is yet another example of minimising violence against women and girls and failure to believe victims and survivors when they bravely speak out.”
It is understood that only the House of Commons has the power to suspend an MP from parliament by way of a vote when parliament is sitting. In response to the call from the charities and unions, a House of Commons spokesperson said: “Whilst we cannot comment on specific cases or allegations, sexual harassment has no place in the House of Commons.”
A Conservative party spokesperson has previously said: “We take any complaint incredibly seriously. We have a code of conduct where people can report complaints in confidence. If a serious allegation is raised, we would immediately advise the individual to contact the police.”
