Another week, another arrest on suspicion of sexual assault for a member of parliament – Britain’s grimmest workplace. Even the nightclub bouncer community has been arrested fewer times this year. This week it’s Reigate MP Crispin Blunt, who resembles an off-brand Terence Stamp, and was interviewed by Surrey police for the second time this month over allegations of rape and possession of controlled substances. He denies the allegations.
With the supremely practised efficiency of an F1 pit crew, the Conservative party is once again rolling out the suspected-scumbag protocol. Blunt has had the whip withdrawn – a piece of arcane styling that always makes it sound like the person in question has merely breached some in-group etiquette – and been told to stay away from the parliamentary estate, which is physically crumbling but otherwise increasingly feels like a fine example of a bail hostel in the gothic style.
