Former Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan has formally quit Parliament after being convicted of sexually assaulting a boy.
Khan announced his intention to resign on April 14 but did not complete the formalities until last week, meaning he received his full taxpayer-funded salary for last month.
He has now been appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, one of the formal mechanisms for an MP to quit the Commons.
— Imran Ahmad Khan (@imranahmadkhan) April 14, 2022
The Wakefield MP was found guilty of sexually assaulting the 15-year-old at Southwark Crown Court on April 11.
There were suggestions that a proper process needed to be followed before he could resign.
However, parliamentary officials stressed that an MP can resign at any moment and pointed towards the case of Owen Paterson.
The Conservative MP announced his resignation from the “cruel world of politics” on November 4 after being embroiled in a lobbying scandal and an attempt to ward off his suspension.
The next morning, the Treasury announced he had been formally stood down from the seat of North Shropshire by being appointed to the Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, the other archaic post given to resigning MPs.
Khan had been resisting calls to resign until conceding it would be it “intolerable” for voters in the West Yorkshire constituency to have muted representation while he appeals the conviction.
He said the move would allow him to “focus entirely on clearing my name”.
His departure will set up a challenging by-election for both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Wakefield was one of the traditional Labour heartlands seats seized by the Tories in the 2019 general election.
Mr Johnson will battle to retain the constituency after facing months of bruising allegations centring on Covid law-breaking parties in Downing Street and after he was personally fined.
But Sir Keir will feel pressure to win back the seat that had been Labour since the 1930s as he tries to prove to voters the party has transformed since he took over from Jeremy Corbyn.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel