Five Tory MPs breached code of conduct by trying to influence Elphicke sex assault trial, committee rules
Five Tory MPs breached the code of conduct by trying to influence the trial of former MP Charlie Elphicke, the Commons Standards Committee has ruled.
The MPs include Elphicke’s former wife Natalie Elphicke, Sir Roger Gale, Theresa Villiers, Adam Holloway and Bob Stewart.
Three of them – Ms Elphicke, Sir Roger and Ms Villiers – have been recommended for a one-day suspension.
Ms Elphicke replaced her former husband as the MP for Dover.
Charlie Elphicke was sentenced to two years in prison
The standards committee said: “The letters signed and sent by the members in this case were an attempt improperly to influence judicial proceedings.
“Such egregious behaviour is corrosive to the rule of law and, if allowed to continue unchecked, could undermine public trust in the independence of judges.”
The group of MPs wrote to senior members of the judiciary raising concerns that a more junior judge was considering publishing character references provided for Mr Elphicke.
Elphicke was suspended from the Conservatives in 2017 after he was accused of sexual offences against two members of staff.
The disgraced politician was MP for Dover from 2010 until last year’s general election, at which he was succeeded in the Kent constituency by his wife Natalie.
In July 2020, he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault against the two women and sentenced to two years in prison.
Sentencing him last year, the judge, Mrs Justice Whipple, described the 50-year-old as a “sexual predator” who used his “success and respectability as a cover”.
Elphicke showed no emotion as he was sentenced – and later sought to appeal against the sentence, which was denied in March.
The trial heard how he declared himself a “naughty Tory” as he chased his first victim around his central London family home in summer 2007, moments after groping her while they shared a bottle of wine.
He also groped a second woman, a parliamentary worker in her early 20s with whom he was “besotted”, twice in a month in 2016.
During his trial, the court heard Elphicke, a father of two and a qualified lawyer, lied to police, senior colleagues and his wife about what happened.
Following his conviction, Mrs Elphicke announced the end of her 25-year marriage on Twitter as she sat in a taxi leaving the court, saying the decision had brought “profound sorrow”.
The standard committe said on Wednesday that the five MPs’ behaviour was found to have “caused significant damage to the reputation and integrity” of the House of Commons.
It added that of the three recommended for suspension, two had “substantial legal experience” while the third, Sir Roger, is both the longest standing of the group and “still does not accept his mistake”.
The group were told to apologise to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, as well as to the House.
Politics
Renters’ Reform Bill gets sign off from MPs – but indefinite delay to no-fault evictions ban remains
MPs have voted in favour of the government’s Renters’ Reform Bill – despite it including an indefinite delay to the end of no-fault evictions.
A debate on the legislation ran throughout Wednesday afternoon, including around a new clause from the government which would hold off outlawing Section 21s until a review of the courts system had taken place.
But despite outrage from charities, campaigners and opposition parties around the measure, it got the backing of the majority of MPs – and the bill passed its final stage in the Commons shortly after 6.30pm.
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A Section 21 notice is the legal mechanism allowing landlords to evict tenants without providing a reason, which creates uncertainty for those who rent their homes.
The government first promised to ban the notices five years ago, back when Theresa May was still in Number 10.
But it has faced numerous delays amid threats of rebellion from Tory backbenchers – some of them landlords – who said they feared ending Section 21s would see the courts overwhelmed with more complex eviction cases.
Ministers agreed to amend the bill to ensure no ban was enacted until a probe into the courts had been held.
But the clause offers no timeline – leaving no clear date for when Section 21s will actually be scrapped.
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Speaking during the debate, Levelling Up minister Jacob Young defended the government’s stance, saying to end no-fault evictions straight away would “cause chaos in the sector”, adding: “It is far better for tenants and landlords alike if we make sure this change happens in an orderly way.”
But Labour’s shadow housing minister Matthew Pennycook accused the government of lacking the “courage” to protect renters as they had promised.
“Instead of ministers having the courage to face down their unruly backbenchers, this weak and divided Conservative government is appeasing them at the expense of private renters who will see the rights and protections they were promised watered down,” he added.
Charities also condemned the continued delay to ending Section 21s, with Shelter’s chief executive Polly Neate saying the government had “led private renters down the garden path and dashed their best chance of a secure home”.
She added: “For every day the government has spent weakening [the bill], at least 500 renters were slapped with a no-fault eviction notice.
“With the spectre of homelessness never far away, renters will remain powerless to challenge dangerous conditions and unfair rent hikes.”
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