Peter Bone stripped of Tory whip after allegations of bullying and sexual harassment

Peter Bone denies allegations of bullying and sexual harassment Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Peter Bone stripped of Tory whip after allegations of bullying and sexual harassment sexual harassment of a member of his staff.

Mr Bone, a former deputy leader of the House of Commons, will now become an independent MP following his expulsion from the Conservative Party.< /p>

Four separate allegations of bullying in against a 70-year-old man were confirmed in a report published by the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) on Monday.

The Wellingborough MP is also reported to have exposed his genitals to a staff member in his 20s while the pair were sharing a hotel room during a trip to Madrid with the cross-party parliamentary group on human trafficking.

G- Mr Bone has categorically denied all allegations dating back to 2012 and 2013.

On Tuesday afternoon a spokesman for Simon Hart, the chief whip, said: “Following a report by the Independent Panel, the chief whip has stripped Peter Bone MP of his Conservative whip. «

The IEP recommended that Mr Bone be suspended from parliament for six weeks. This sanction must now be agreed upon by MPs by a vote of the entire House of Commons.

If approved, it would create a recall petition in his Wellingborough constituency, leading to a by-election if 10 per cent sign it. voters.

It could mean another potentially tough fight for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after this Thursday's elections in Tamworth and Mid-Bedfordshire.

The Tories lost two by-elections in Selby, Ainsty, Somerton and Frome in July, while narrowly holding Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Boris Johnson's former seat.

'Example of inappropriate behavior'

Complaints against Mr Bone that were substantiated by the IEP included incidents of «violence, yelling and swearing, ridicule, humiliation and humiliation, and ostracism» towards the employee.

The report also identified a «pattern of inappropriate behavior» including pressuring a man to give him a massage in his office.

The findings raised questions among the Conservative Party after it emerged that concerns about Mr Bone's behavior were raised with David Cameron, the then prime minister, the father of the complainant in 2015.

Downing Street on Tuesday said there were no plans to launch an investigation into what previous prime ministers knew about the allegations against Mr Bone.

Wendy Chamberlain, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the suspension was «too late» adding: “We need to know whether those who hold the highest public office in the land have chosen to turn a blind eye to these allegations.”

In a statement issued on Monday before he lost the whip, Mr. Bone said it had been «a great honor and privilege to represent the people of Wellingborough and Rushden» since his election in 2005, vowing to «continue to represent them to the best of my ability.»

He added: «As do I Throughout these proceedings, not a single allegation of misconduct was ever brought against me. These are false and untrue statements. They are baseless.”