The Conversation (0)
Ariana Baio
May 17, 2022
Tory Neil Parish admits to watching porn in Commons and quits as ...
Video
An undisclosed Conservative member of parliament has been arrested on suspicion of sexual misconduct - on the same day Prime Minister Boris Johnson's called for the Cabinet to focus on crime.
The unnamed Tory MP was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of "indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of a position of trust and misconduct in public office". The Met Police have asked the member, a man in his 50s, to abstain from attending parliament while the investigation is ongoing.
The arrest comes shortly after Johnson, 57, met with Cabinet members to address crime on Tuesday morning.
"What we're also doing is making sure that we give everybody the confidence that we are on their side when it comes to the law and comes to their experiences of crimes, particularly crimes of sexual and domestic violence," Johnson said to the Cabinet. "We want to see more prosecutions for those who engage in such crimes."
Sign up for our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter
Hours later, the unknown MP was arrested for allegations similar to the ones Johnson mentioned in his speech to the Cabinet.
really top timeline placementpic.twitter.com/JERU7vtcV4— Poppy Bullard (@Poppy Bullard) 1652805345
Boris Johnson apparently told cabinet he wants to focus on \u201ccrime, crime, crime\u201d\n\nI\u2019m not clear though if he means committing it or tackling it?— Buck Frexit! \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf0e FBPE #GTTO #PR (@Buck Frexit! \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf0e FBPE #GTTO #PR) 1652792327
The sitting MP's arrest also comes after a series of sexual assault scandals have rocked Westminster, dubbed 'Pestminster'.
In March, Tory MP Neil Parish was accused of watching pornography in the Commons chamber which he later admitted to, although he first said it was an accident. Ultimately Parish resigned from his position in April.
Last month, Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan resigned from his position after being convicted of sexually assaulting a minor.
Another 56 complaints of alleged sexual misconduct have reportedly been brought to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), including three cabinet members.
Allegations of sexism in Westminster's culture have circulated as well, to which minister Ben Wallace suggested MPs avoid bars in order to avoid facing issues.
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.