A Conservative backbench MP has had the whip withdrawn while allegations about drug abuse and sexually inappropriate behaviour are investigated by the new parliamentary harassment watchdog.
David Warburton, the MP for Somerton and Frome, has been suspended from the Tory party while an investigation is carried out into claims he took cocaine and was sexually inappropriate towards three women.
The 56-year-old Somerset MP, who is married with two young children, insisted he would launch a robust defence and denied any wrongdoing.
A spokesman for the Whips Office said: “David Warburton MP has had the Conservative Party whip removed while the investigation is ongoing.”
Allegations of cocaine use
According to a report in The Sunday Times, one woman whom the former music teacher and businessman had met through politics alleged he took cocaine at her home two months ago. She did not make a complaint to police or any other authority. She has not seen him since.
Meanwhile, two women have lodged formal complaints with the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) – set up to tackle misconduct by MPs and peers in the wake of the MeToo movement that rocked Westminster leading to four government ministers losing their jobs. The scheme’s website says it “is for all current and former members of the parliamentary community”.
It is said the women alleged Mr Warburton had behaved inappropriately either in or around the Palace of Westminster. It is reported he groped one woman’s thigh at a British Kebab awards ceremony and made sexualised comments towards her.
The women, who claim he pressurised them to drink more alcohol than they wanted to, claim he had also boasted about drug taking.
‘I have enormous amounts of defence’
When contacted by the Telegraph, Mr Warburton said: “I have enormous amounts of defence, but unfortunately the way that things work means that doesn’t come out first.
“I have heard nothing whatsoever from the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme. I’m sorry, I can’t comment any further.”
The Twitter account Mr Warburton used was offline on Saturday, with visitors to the @DJwarburton page instead seeing the message: “This account doesn’t exist. Try searching for another.”
Mr Warburton is a member of the European Scrutiny Committee, and has been a ministerial aide to the Department for Education and the Department of International Development.
