Julian Knight: Withdrawing Tory whip is ‘unjustified’ and I am a victim of blackmail

A former Tory MP who was stripped of the whip following allegations of serious sexual assault has claimed that he is the victim of blackmail.

Julian Knight, who is chairman of the digital, culture, media and sports committee, suggested he could be the target of a "campaign of rumour and innuendo".

The Conservative Party removed the whip from him on Wednesday night after a complaint was made to the Metropolitan Police, meaning he no longer sits in the House of Commons as a Tory.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: "On Oct 28, police received allegations of serious sexual assault against unnamed victims reported to have taken place on unknown dates at undisclosed locations.

"On Dec 7, a further referral relating to the incident[s] was made and an investigation was launched. Enquiries are ongoing. There have been no arrests."

'Wrong and unjustified'

On Thursday, Mr Knight wrote to Simon Hart, the Chief Whip, to say he is “entirely innocent” of any wrongdoing, and that the withdrawal of the whip was “wrong and unjustified”.

He asked whether his suspension relates to a third-party complaint “apparently made by two fellow MPs” about him to the police on Oct 28.

“Some months ago I accepted the resignation of a staff member following a full enquiry into his conduct regarding House of Commons security issues and, separately, allegations of bullying against him,” said Mr Knight.

“Subsequently, I have received what my lawyers advise are explicit threats involving blackmail as well as being at the centre of a campaign of rumour and innuendo. All matters are now with my lawyers and I will be recusing myself from Parliament until the matter is resolved.”

Mr Knight complained that he only found out from the media that he had been stripped of the whip. He added that he has not heard anything from the police or parliament’s internal grievance service about allegations made against him.

In a letter to Mr Hart, he demanded to know why he had been publicly named by the whips’ office, which he said will “prejudice any prospect of my getting a fair hearing in any inquiry, court or disciplinary hearing”.

He went on to say: “It seems lamentable and completely wrong that I have to make this statement after the public linking of my good name as Conservative MP with an apparently serious but entirely unspecified offence.

“By unilaterally and publicly suspending the whip you have stripped me of the rights to anonymity or a fair hearing in any judicial forum, or, indeed, in the court of public opinion.”

Whip removed

Mr Knight, who has represented the Solihull constituency in the West Midlands since 2015, will now sit as an independent.

A spokesman for Mr Hart said: "Following a complaint made to the Metropolitan Police, we have removed the whip from Julian Knight MP with immediate effect."

The Chief Whip is in charge of discipline within the parliamentary party. He also has the power to remove the whip from an MP, meaning they can no longer sit in Parliament as a Conservative MP.

Mr Knight becomes the fifth MP to currently have the Conservative whip removed.