Rishi Sunak faces another potentially damaging by-election after a former Tory MP resigned with immediate effect following accusations of sexual harassment and cocaine use.
David Warburton, 57, has stood down from his seat of Somerton and Frome, hitting out in an exit statement at an “extraordinarily difficult” 14 months fighting “malicious allegations”.
He claimed he had been denied a fair hearing by the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) and prevented from “speaking out” while it probed the accusations.
In his resignation letter he said had been left with “no choice” but to provoke “the upheaval of a by-election”, adding: “It is my hope that, in so doing, I can freely illuminate the methods of an oversight system not fit for purpose, so that friends and colleagues in the House can see the perverted process by which their own judgement may at any time be freighted.”
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, Mr Warburton admitted to taking cocaine after drinking “tons of incredibly potent” Japanese whiskey, but denied claims that he harassed a female political aide in his Westminster flat.
The resignation will trigger an electoral battle in his Somerset constituency, adding to the problems faced by the Prime Minister amid the fallout from his predecessor-but-one stepping down.
Mr Warburton took the seat from the Liberal Democrats in 2015 and has a 19,213 majority but the party is already stepping up manoeuvres to reclaim it.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “The IGCS is an independent body set up by parliament and the Conservative Party respects its processes.
“Mr Warburton had the whip withdrawn over these complaints last April and has not sat in parliament as a Conservative since.”
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Time after time the Conservatives have mired themselves in sleaze and scandal neglecting the issues that really matter to people. Then they decided it was okay to leave local people in this seat without any proper representation at all.
“This by-election will be a clear contest between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, Labour finished third last time and are completely out of the race. The people of Somerton and Frome need a local champion and they can have that at the next election by choosing our local Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Dyke.”
Meanwhile Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator Shabana Mahmood accused the Prime Minister of being “too weak to act himself”.
“Yet again, we see a Tory MP resigning in disgrace, after Rishi Sunak was too weak to act himself. Enough is enough,” she said.
“Britain can’t afford this weak Conservative prime minister with a party too divided to govern as families struggle with the cost of living. It’s time to turn the page on 13 years of Tory chaos. We need a general election now and a Labour government led by Keir Starmer.”
Mr Warburton had been sitting in the Commons as an independent after having the Tory whip suspended last April over the allegations.
The Prime Minister now faces four potential by elections with two contests in Uxbridge and South Ruislip and Selby and Ainsty already scheduled for July 20 after Boris Johnson and his ally Nigel Adams resigned.
Nadine Dorries, who had also announced she was going to quit over the fallout from the former prime minister’s resignation honours, is staying while she seeks to investigate how she was denied a seat in the Lords on the list.
Following Mr Warburton’s criticism, a House of Commons spokesperson said: “Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) operates on the basis of confidentiality for the benefit of all parties.
“It is vital to the integrity of every case and for the wellbeing of those involved. For that reason,â¯we cannot provideâ¯any information onâ¯any complaints or cases,â¯including whether or not a complaint has been received.”
The spokesperson went on to add: “Parliament remains absolutely committed to the ICGS. It is there to ensure that all complaints are dealt with in a manner that is fair, thorough, independent and efficient, offering support to all parties. The target to reduce the length of investigations must always be balanced against the paramount requirement to ensure that investigations are rigorous and robust. The scheme always seeks to learn from cases, and is mindful of the impact investigations may have on those involved.
“The ICGS remains focused on ensuring that investigations can progress as efficiently as possible, as well as ensuring greater transparency and confidence in its processes. Significant work has already been undertaken to improve the scheme, including the recruitment of additional independent investigators”
“Combined with oversight and appeal functions delivered by the Commissioner for Standards and the Independent Expert Panel, we now have strong, fair and independent processes in place that we encourage all those in Parliament to use if needed. We remain committed to ensuring that lasting cultural change can be delivered for all of those in Parliament.”
