Conservative MP arrested on suspicion of rape and possession of drugs

A Conservative MP has been arrested on suspicion of rape and possession of drugs, the Guardian has learned.

Police said a man was arrested on Wednesday morning before being released on conditional bail.

Westminster sources confirmed the man, whom the Guardian is not naming, is a sitting MP.

A spokesperson for a UK police force, which is also not being named, said: “We can confirm a man … was arrested yesterday morning … on suspicion of rape and possession of controlled substances. He has been released on conditional police bail pending further inquiries.”

It is understood the suspected controlled substances are being tested, with the results pending.

It is the latest in a string of arrests of MPs in relation to alleged sexual crimes.

Another sitting Conservative MP, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested in May 2022 on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault and rape. He has not been charged.

Two former Tory MPs have been convicted of sexual assault: Charlie Elphicke, who was MP for Dover, was sentenced to a two-year prison term in 2020 on three counts of sexual assault against two women; and Imran Ahmad Khan, the former MP for Wakefield, was last year sentenced to 18 months in jail for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.

In the past, the speaker of the House of Commons would make it public when an MP had been arrested. This practice was ended in 2016 after MPs voted to give greater privacy to their colleagues when arrested.

More details soon …