Tory Crispin Blunt might be the latest MP accused of sexual misconduct, but he isn’t the first

By Abby Amoakuh

Published Oct 27, 2023 at 02:33 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

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Image courtesy of Crispin Blunt

On Thursday 26 October 2023, Politico reported that Conservative MP Crispin Blunt had been arrested on suspicion of rape and possession of drugs. After reports about the arrest of an unnamed Tory MP began circulating in the mainstream and across social media platforms, the 63-year-old confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that he was indeed the MP in question.

“The arrest was unnecessary as I remain ready to cooperate fully with the investigation that I am confident will end without charge. I do not intend to say anything further on this matter until the police have completed their inquiries,” Blunt stated.

Due to the severity of the allegations, Blunt had his whip suspended, meaning that he has essentially been expelled from his party and will now have to sit as an Independent in the coming weeks when or if he attends parliament. It is one of the strongest punishments a political party can impose on an MP in the UK.

While this accusation of gross wrongdoing against a politician might come as a shock, it is definitely not an isolated incident. Blunt is only the latest one in a long line of MPs, who have been accused of some form of sexual misconduct. For this reason, we’ve decided to compile a list of the most recent allegations for you, to make sure we’re all up to date with the local scumbags.

On 17 October 2023, news broke that Tory MP Peter Bone would face a six-week suspension from parliament, due to allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct. The lengthy sentence for the pro-Brexit MP was approved by parliament’s Independent Expert Panel (IEP), which rules on complaints against MPs. Bone was found guilty of having “committed many varied acts of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct” against a member of his staff in 2012 and 2013.

It was reported that he indecently exposed himself to the complainant in the bathroom of a hotel room during a work trip to Madrid. His suspension has triggered a recall petition, which would result in a new election and might see Bone lose his seat in the House of Commons. 

In June 2023, Geraint Davies, the Labour MP for Swansea West, had his whip suspended due to reports of “multiple incidents of inappropriate behaviour” towards junior female colleagues. It was reported that the politician had a reputation for “excessive drinking, sexual comments and unwanted touching” toward “younger women in the workplace.” The victims, who have chosen to remain anonymous, reached out to the news publisher Politico to make their claims. Davies was later suspended from his party in 2023, however still sits as an Independent.

In May 2022, Imran Ahmad Khan, the Conservative MP for Wakefield, was sentenced to 18 months in jail for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy. The incident occurred after Khan allegedly plied the teenager with gin at a party in 2008. The MP denied the accusation “in the strongest terms.” However, in April 2022, after a two-week-long trial, the politician was convicted. Shortly after he was found guilty, Khan was expelled from the Conservative Party and resigned from the House of Commons.

Lastly, to finish off this rather gruesome and revolting list, we have Neil Parish, the Conservative MP who was caught watching porn in parliament… This one kind of speaks for itself.

Parish’s friends later claimed that he “accidentally” watched pornography on his phone while browsing for farm machinery called the “Dominator” while he was in the Commons chamber–Before entering politics, Parish was a farmer and he still lives and works on a farm. However, the incident occurred for a second time and this time, it was deliberate. After admitting to the allegations, the politician resigned as an MP and his departure triggered a by-election, which was held on 23 June 2022.

Online netizens have voiced their frustrations about their seemingly high-key problematic elected officials. After all, we currently have a Prime Minister no one voted for, who seems much more focused on eradicating the LGBTQAI+ community than doing anything about climate change. Furthermore, we have a cost of living and rental crisis no one seems to care a lot about and a house full of leaders who seem unworthy of the trust we have placed in them to be our representatives. It is a hard time to be living in the UK right now that’s for sure.