Which MPs have been accused of sexual misconduct since the 2019 general election?

At least 10 named MPs have been accused of sexual misconduct since the last general election.

A further three unnamed Parliamentarians have also been accused of a variety of offences, including rape, sexual assault and spiking drinks. One unnamed Tory MP has been ordered to stay away from Parliament. 

However this is likely this is just the tip of the iceberg, as the Sunday Times reported last year that 56 MPs - including three Cabinet ministers and two Shadow Cabinet ministers - have been reported to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS). The ICGS was set up in 2018 after the Me Too movement to deal with bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct complaints in Parliament.

Veteran Conservative Peter Bone was the latest MP to be accused, after Parliament’s Independent Expert Panel (IEP) found he had committed several acts of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct. It has been recommended he is suspended from Parliament for six weeks.

It is the latest in a spate of Pestminster scandals that have cast a shadow over Westminster. So which MPs have been accused of sexual misconduct since the 2019 general election?

Peter Bone

Bone was recommended for a six-week suspension from the House of Commons, after an independent panel found he committed violent bullying and sexual misconduct against a staff member. Parliament’s Independent Expert Panel (IEP) said the MP for Wellingborough “committed many varied acts of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct” against a member of his staff in 2012 and 2013. 

They were first reported to David Cameron in 2015 and Theresa May in 2017, however in August 2022 - when the Conservative Party was still investigating - the complainant passed it on to Parliamentary authorities. In 2022, Boris Johnson promoted Bone to the front bench as deputy leader of the House of Commons.

The complainant alleged that Bone had “repeatedly pressurised” the member of staff to give him a massage in the office and, on a visit to Madrid with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Human Trafficking, the panel found he indecently exposed himself to the complainant in the bathroom and bedroom of the hotel room they were sharing.

Bone has denied the allegations, saying the claims are "false and untrue", and without foundation. The Conservative Party has not yet removed the whip, and the Standards Committee and MPs will vote on whether Bone will be suspended, which could lead to a by-election.

Julian Knight

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee chair had the Conservative whip suspended in December 2022 after allegations of “serious sexual assault” were made against him to the Met Police.

The police investigation was dropped at the beginning of April 2023 before being referred on to Essex Police, which is now investigating Knight. Chief Whip Simon Hart’s spokesperson said Knight would not be readmitted to the party as “further complaints” had been made against him. "These complaints, if appropriate, will be referred to the relevant police force, or appropriate bodies,” they added.

Knight said in December that he was “entirely innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever” and claimed the case against him was based on a “single, false and malicious allegation”. When the police dropped its investigation, but he did not have the whip restored, Knight claimed he was facing a "witch hunt" by the whips "in an attempt to prevent my naming names". He has since said he will stand down as an MP at the next general election.

Chris Pincher

In a scandal that led to the downfall of Boris Johnson’s government, Chris Pincher was accused of sexually assaulting two guests at a London private members’ club in June 2022.

He resigned as Deputy Chief Whip on 30 June saying he had “drunk far too much” and had “embarrassed” himself. He was suspended by his party a day later after a formal complaint was lodged with the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) - a body that investigates misconduct allegations about anyone who works on the parliamentary estate.

Pincher was recommended for an eight-week suspension by the Standards Committee, and lost his appeal. After that he resigned, leading to a by-election in Tamworth, the West Midlands, on Thursday.

Rob Roberts

The representative for the North Wales constituency was suspended from the Conservative Party after an independent panel in 2021 found he had sexually harassed a member of his parliamentary staff.

Roberts apologised for his “completely improper” behaviour, but insisted his actions were “romantic” rather than sexual. He had the Tory whip suspended in May 2021. While he continues to sit as an independent MP, he was controversially readmitted as a member of the Conservative Party in November 2021.

David Warburton

The former Somerset MP had the whip withdrawn in April 2022 after an investigation was launched into allegations of sexual harassment and drug use.

The Sunday Times published a picture of the Conservative sitting next to what appeared to be lines of cocaine. It also published the account of a woman who said she had been made uncomfortable by his advances. 

At the time, Warburton denied the allegations, saying: “I have enormous amounts of defence, but unfortunately the way that 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.”

Since then, Warburton has resigned and the Liberal Democrats won the by-election in July 2023.

Geraint Davies

The veteran Swansea West MP, 63, has been in the Commons with Labour for 21 years (over two stints). He was suspended by Labour in June after the Politico news site reported he had been accused of “incredibly serious” inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment. Most of the claims, which have not been verified by NationalWorld, related to his conduct on the parliamentary estate.

A female Labour MP told Sky News: “He's certainly made me feel uncomfortable over the years... just always standing too close and being weird.” While the MP, who previously represented Croydon Central between 1997 and 2005, has said he does not recognise the allegations, he added that he was “naturally sorry” if his behaviour had “inadvertently caused offence”.

A Labour spokesperson said: “These are incredibly serious allegations of completely unacceptable behaviour. We strongly encourage anyone with a complaint to come forward to the Labour Party’s investigation. Any complainant will have access to an independent support service who provide confidential and independent guidance and advice from external experts throughout the process.”

Imran Ahmad Khan

The former Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan, 50, was jailed for 18 months for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008. He was elected as MP for Wakefield, West Yorkshire, in 2019, however was expelled from the Conservative Party and later resigned from the Commons, triggering a by-election last year

The jury heard how he forced the youngster to drink gin and tonic, pushed him on to a bed and asked him to watch pornography before the attack at a house in Staffordshire in January 2008. He has since been released from prison after serving half his sentence.

Neil Parish

Tory Neil Parish resigned as an MP after admitting to twice watching pornography in Parliament, saying he first accidentally viewed it after looking at tractors online before then acting deliberately.

The 67-year-old select committee chair, who is a farmer by trade, said the second time was while sitting waiting to vote on the side of the Commons chamber in a “moment of madness”. The Liberal Democrats won the by-election in Tiverton and Honiton in 2022. 

Christian Matheson

Labour MP Christian Matheson resigned in October 2022 after complaints of “serious sexual misconduct” were upheld by a parliamentary watchdog.

Matheson, who denied the allegations, was facing a four-week suspension and had been asked to resign by Labour before he quit. A report from the Independent Expert Panel recommended the suspension after Kathryn Stone, the then Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, upheld two allegations of sexual misconduct against Matheson by a former member of his staff.

Mike Hill

Hartlepool MP Mike Hill was suspended from the Labour Party in September 2019 after allegations of sexual misconduct, but was reinstated in October that year. Hill resigned on 16 March 2021, after facing an employment tribunal relating to accusations of sexual harassment and victimisation. The Conservatives won the resulting by-election.

He had denied the allegations however Parliament’s Independent Expert Panel found he had breached the sexual misconduct policy. The tribunal found Hill assaulted, harassed and victimised a Parliamentary worker, and he was ordered to pay £434,435 to the victim.

Unnamed Conservative MPs

Several unnamed Conservative MPs have been under police investigation over the last couple of years. One Tory MP was arrested in May 2022 after being accused of rape and sexual assault offences between 2002 and 2009. He has been urged to stay away from Parliament.

In December 2022, another Conservative MP was reported to the police by their colleagues in Parliament. The allegations of “serious sexual assault” reportedly span over two years.

While another senior Tory MP was accused of using date rape drugs on four men in and around Westminster. According to a story published in the Sunday Mirror, the anonymous Conservative politician allegedly spiked the drinks of two other MPs.