Christian Matheson has resigned after a parliamentary report
(Picture: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA)LabourMP Christian Matheson has resigned after a report by a parliamentary watchdog upheld complaints of “serious sexual misconduct”.
Mr Matheson, who denied the allegations, was facing a four-week suspension and had been asked to stand down as City of Chester MP by Labour.
The Independent Expert Panel had released a report recommending suspension, after the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone, upheld two allegations of sexual misconduct against Matheson by a former member of his staff, made under Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS).
The sexual misconduct allegations that were upheld explained that the MP’s behaviour ranged from attempting to kiss the member of staff on her mouth and making her hold his hand, to commenting on her appearance “while looking at her suggestively”.
One involved Matheson inviting his female employee on a private trip abroad, which the watchdog deemed to be “sexually motivated, unwanted and had placed the complainant under pressure and intimidated her”.
Here’s everything you need to know about Christian Matheson, his resignation, and the Labour Party’s reaction to the events.
Who is Christian Matheson?
Chris Matheson is now a former Labour Party MP who had represented the City of Chester in Parliament since 2015.
Matheson grew up in rural Cheshire and gained a degree in economics and politics from the London School of Economics, before joining the Labour Party as a candidate in 2013.
In 2015, he gained the City of Chester seat from Conservative MP Stephen Mosley.
The Cheshire native won his seat twice more after that during the 2017 and 2019 elections.
Throughout the years, he has worked as a member of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, and the shadow cabinet.
How did Christian Matheson resign?
On October 21, 2022, the Independent Expert Panel concluded that he should be suspended from the House of Commons for four weeks following serious sexual-misconduct allegations.
Shortly after the news went public, the MP announced his resignation.
In his resignation statement, he acknowledged that he had committed minor breaches of the code but he suggested that he hoped the investigation would have a different conclusion.
Matheson said: “... I am dismayed that I have been found guilty of several allegations that I know to be untrue.”
“Indeed my insistence on what I know to be true - that I had no sexual motivation in this matter - was held against me as a refusal to accept my guilt, and caused an increased sanction which I felt was disproportionate.”
He explained that he found a four-week penalty to be “an excessive and unfair penalty” and appealed against it, but he is no longer able to “challenge the process further”.
He added: “I believe that the honourable and right thing to do now is to resign my seat and seek to rebuild my life elsewhere.
“I once again apologise to the complainant in my case, for the hurt I have caused.”
How did the Labour Party react to his resignation?
It is understood that the Labour Party was prompt to suspend Chris Matheson when the report came about, launch their own investigation, and ask the MP to stand down.
A spokesperson for the Labour Party announced: “This is an incredibly serious case. There must be a zero-tolerance for sexual harassment and the Labour Party has acted immediately following the ICGS [The Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme] findings.
“We will now select a candidate that the people of Chester can be proud to vote for.”
