MPs voted to suspend Peter Bourne from the House of Commons for six weeks after an investigation found he had engaged in bullying and sexual misconduct towards former staff.
The move is likely to lead to a by-election in his constituency of Wellingborough, with surveys of the former Conservative safe seat showing it could swing to Labor.
Parliamentary conduct watchdogs found Mr Bourne exposed himself to aides and physically beat them.
Mr. Bourne denies the charges.
As the Conservative Party has already withdrawn its whip from membership, he is unable to stand for re-election as a Conservative candidate and currently sits as an independent.
MPs voted to suspend Mr Bourne from parliament for six weeks.
The suspension was recommended by Parliament’s Independent Expert Panel (IEP) after it was found Mr Bourne had breached sexual misconduct rules by exposing himself indecently to staff while traveling abroad. Ta.
The watchdog also upheld five bullying allegations.
Labour’s shadow leader, Lucy Powell MP, called for Mr Bourne to resign.
She said: “The people of Wellingborough deserve an MP they can be proud of. This country deserves the change that only Labor can bring.”
Philip Holborn, Conservative MP for Kettering, which borders Mr Bourne’s constituency, told parliament the ouster was a “very sad day”.
Mr Hollobone said: “Peter was an outstanding MP for 18 years, helping tens of thousands of local people in need. It is extremely sad for everyone involved to see this end. I think so,” he said. .
Asked about the chances of Wellingborough voters collecting enough signatures to trigger a by-election, Mr Holborn said: “Peter Bourne has been an incredibly popular councilor for a very long time.” Stated.
If a member of Congress is suspended for more than 10 days for misconduct, a recall petition will be initiated. A by-election will be held if at least 10% of local voters sign the petition.
Who is Peter Bourne?
- The 70-year-old has been a Conservative politician since the 1970s, but was only elected to the House of Commons in 2005.
- He is a prominent Brexit supporter and campaigned with Nigel Farage during the 2016 referendum.
- Transformed Wellingborough from an overcrowded area into a safe Conservative seat, winning a majority of 18,540 in the 2019 election.
- An influential voice on the Conservative right, he briefly served as deputy leader of the House of Commons under Boris Johnson.
- He was known for jokingly calling his wife Jenny ‘Mrs Bone’ in Parliament, but the couple split in 2016 and are reportedly starting a new relationship.
The prospect of another by-election is a potential headache for Chancellor Rishi Sunak, whose inherited majority has been eroded by a series of by-election defeats in recent months.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden told Sky News: “A by-election is always going to be difficult for a government that has been in power for 13 years.”
But he said the Conservatives would “push our case very strongly” if it were to take place in Wellingborough.
Mr Bourne won a majority of 18,540 votes in the last general election, which is smaller than the Conservative majority in Tamworth and Mid-Bedfordshire that Labor overturned in October in 2019.
Mr Bourne has held the seat for the Conservative Party since 2005 and has increased the party’s vote share.
In July 2022, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Mr Bourne as deputy leader of the House of Commons, with responsibility for responding to complaints of bullying. He was relieved of his role by Mr Johnson’s successor, Liz Truss.
Mr Bourne’s former assistant told the BBC that his experience working for him led to him being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
A former employee said Mr Bourne’s “physical, mental and psychological abuse” left him a “broken shell of the young man he once was”.
The Conservative Party launched an investigation into Bourne’s conduct in 2018, but the party said “the complainant withdrew from the proceedings before the case was heard.”
The IEP investigation was based on a complaint filed by a former employee about alleged conduct that occurred more than a decade ago.
Mr Bourne appealed the findings, arguing that the findings were flawed. However, his appeal was dismissed.
