All the Tory MPs who have been suspended since Rishi Sunak became prime minister
Rishi Sunak is facing a fresh headache after a Conservative MP was suspended over allegations he misused campaign funds.
The Times newspaper report into Mark Menzies is the latest sleaze row to rock the Tories since the prime minister entered Downing Street with a promise to bring “integrity and accountability” to government.
Having sought to draw a line under the scandal-hit era of Boris Johnson, problems have continued to mount for Mr Sunak.
Sky News looks at the MPs who have been suspended during his time in office so far.
Mark Menzies
Fylde MP Mr Menzies lost the Conservative whip and was suspended as one of Rishi Sunak’s trade envoys after The Times published claims that he had used political donations to cover medical expenses and pay off “bad people” who had locked him in a flat and demanded thousands of pounds for his release.
Mr Menzies, who will now sit as an independent MP, disputes the allegations but “agreed to relinquish the Conservative whip, pending the outcome of an investigation”, Chief Whip Simon Hart said.
Mark Menzies. Pic: AP
Mr Sunak is facing questions over how the claims were handled, with reports suggesting that the party had been aware of the allegations for more than three months.
Sky News understands there had been an ongoing investigation by Conservative Campaign Headquarters into Mr Menzies, but further information came to light following the newspaper’s report and Mr Hart acted immediately.
William Wragg
William Wragg, the MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester, also gave up the whip after he admitted to The Times he had given his colleagues’ phone numbers to someone he met on a dating app.
The senior backbencher apologised and said the person “had compromising things on me. They wouldn’t leave me alone”.
William Wragg. Pic: PA/UK Parliament
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Wragg praised for dignity
Scotland Yard later said it is investigating reports of the so-called “honeytrap” scam after it was suggested at least 12 men in political circles received unsolicited messages, raising security concerns.
Mr Wragg’s decision to voluntarily give up the whip led to criticism from within Conservative ranks, with a senior Tory source telling Sky News: “Rishi is so weak Wragg decided he’d have to fire himself instead.”
Lee Anderson
Lee Anderson has since defected to Reform UK. Pic: Reuters
Former deputy party chairman Lee Anderson had the whip suspended over “Islamophobic” comments he made about Sadiq Khan.
The MP for Ashfield, who has since defected to the Reform party, said he believed “Islamists” had “got control” of the Mayor of London, saying: “He’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.”
A day later Mr Khan accused the prime minister of being “complicit” in racism for failing to condemn Mr Anderson‘s comments that “pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred”.
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Lee Anderson says Reform Party will be ‘a major force’
Mr Anderson was ultimately suspended, with the chief whip Mr Hart saying this was due to his “failure to apologise”.
Mr Anderson said at the time that he “fully” accepts the party had to suspend him – adding that he “will continue to support the government’s efforts to call out extremism in all its forms – be that antisemitism or Islamophobia”.
Scott Benton
Scott Benton was suspended last April after suggesting to undercover reporters at The Times that he would be willing to break lobbying rules for money.
A subsequent parliamentary investigation found he had committed a “very serious breach” of the rules and recommended he be suspended from the Commons for 35 days, a punishment backed by MPs.
Former Tory MP Scott Benton. Pic: PA
Mr Benton resigned before that could happen, triggering a by-election in his Blackpool South constituency which will coincide with next month’s local elections.
He had denied wrongdoing and appealed the suspension but the ruling was upheld. Had he not resigned, he would have faced being removed from his seat via a re-call petition which would have triggered a by-election if 10% of eligible voters in the area backed it.
Bob Stewart
Bob Stewart, who represents Beckenham in southeast London, surrendered the party whip after he was found guilty of a racially-aggravated public order offence.
MP Bob Stewart. Pic: PA
The conviction was quashed on appeal in February, but he has not had the whip restored.
Mr Stewart was convicted after telling Bahraini refugee Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei to “go back to Bahrain” during the incident in December 2022.
In overturning the decision, Mr Justice Bennathan said that while the words amounted to abuse, it was not believed that they caused Mr Alwadaei harassment, alarm or distress.
Crispin Blunt
Former minister Crispin Blunt had the whip suspended pending the outcome of the police investigation into allegations of rape and possession of controlled substances, which he denies.
Crispin Blunt identified himself as an MP who was arrested last October
The Reigate MP announced his arrest in October, calling it “unnecessary” but saying he was ready to co-operate and “I am confident will end without charge”.
Mr Blunt has said he does not intend to contest the next election. In January he was re-bailed until April.
Peter Bone
Peter Bone was removed in a recall petition
Disgraced ex-Tory MP Peter Bone lost his seat after being removed by constituents in a recall petition. The move came after he was suspended as an MP over bullying and sexual misconduct claims, which he denies.
Mr Bone’s partner was chosen to run as his replacement in the subsequent Wellingborough by-election. Labour managed to achieve a swing of 28.5% – the largest swing of this parliament at the time.
Chris Pincher
The Chris Pincher allegations led to the downfall of Boris Johnson
Former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher quit parliament in disgrace after losing his appeal against a suspension from the Commons following groping allegations made in June 2022.
The allegations ultimately led to the downfall of Boris Johnson, after it emerged the then prime minister was aware of an investigation into his conduct three years before, yet still appointed him to a role in his government involving MPs’ welfare.
Mr Pincher did not appeal against the rule breach, but argued to the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) that the punishment was disproportionate.
Labour won the Tamworth by-election. Pic: PA
His resignation triggered a by-election in his seat in Tamworth in October, which the Tories lost to Labour.
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David Warburton
David Warburton stood down from his seat in Somerton and Frome last summer while being investigated for claims of sexual misconduct. Mr Warburton, who was suspended over the allegations 14 months earlier, denied making unwanted advances but did admit to drug use.
David Warburton, the former MP for Somerton and Frome
In his resignation letter he said he had been denied a fair hearing by the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) and prevented from “speaking out” while it investigated the accusations.
An independent panel later found the investigation into claims he sexually harassed someone was “materially flawed“, but said it had made “no findings on the substance of the complaint against the respondent, or the allegation that the complaint was fabricated”.
Julian Knight
Julian Knight. Pic: PA
Juian Knight was suspended as a Conservative after a serious sexual assault allegation was made against him.
The MP for Solihull has always maintained his innocence and in April last year, the Metropolitan Police dropped the investigation without questioning him.
But he remained suspended from the Tory party as the chief whip said “further complaints” had been made against him.
Mr Knight announced he would be standing down at the next election as a result.
Andrew Bridgen
Mr Bridgen was kicked out of the Conservative Party last year after comparing COVID vaccines to the Holocaust.
Andrew Bridgen was expelled over COVID vaccine comments
The North West Leicestershire MP claimed a “consultant cardiologist” told him COVID jabs were “causing serious harms”, adding that the vaccine programme was “the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust”.
He stood by his comments following his expulsion, saying he would use his “newfound freedom” as an independent MP “to fight for justice for all those harmed, injured and bereaved due to governmental incompetence”.
Matt Hancock
Former health secretary Matt Hancock
Matt Hancock resigned as health secretary in disgrace during the pandemic when he was caught having an affair with his aide and now girlfriend, Gina Coladangelo, in breach of his own social distancing rules.
But it was his appearance on reality TV show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! that caused him to lose the whip.
Mr Hancock was heavily criticised by MPs, including Mr Sunak, who said MPs should spend their time “serving constituents”.
NHS England has warned the health service is facing a “worst case scenario” December with a surge of “super flu”.
The warning comes as new figures revealed the number of people in hospital with flu have increased by more than half in just one week.
Catch up as it happened: NHS warns of ‘worst-case scenario’ as ‘super flu’ surges
Latest figures show:
• An average of 2,660 patients were in hospital per day with flu last week
• This is the highest ever for this time of year and up 55% on last week
• At this point last year the number stood at 1,861 patients, while in 2023 it was just 402
Health service bosses are warning the number of flu patients in hospital has already increased sharply since the week covered by this data – with no peak in sight.
Read more: Why is flu season worse this year?
Virus outbreaks coincide with doctors’ strikes
Weekly flu numbers in England peaked at 5,408 patients last winter and reached 5,441 over the winter of 2022/23, the highest level since the pandemic.
Alongside rocketing flu, the number of norovirus patients in hospital has also risen by 35%.
The NHS is now warning winter viruses are starting to “engulf hospitals”.
Demand for A&Es and ambulance services is also soaring.
New monthly figures show A&E attendances were a record for November at 2.35 million – more than 30,000 higher than November 2024.
In addition, there were 48,814 more ambulance incidents (802,525) compared with last year (753,711).
Some hospitals across the country have asked staff, patients and visitors to wear face masks to cut the spread of flu, while others have gone in and out of critical incident status due to the high number of people attending A&E.
The record-breaking demand on the NHS coincides with a resident doctors’ strike from 17 to 22 December over pay and jobs – sparking fears of major disruption for patients in the run up to Christmas.
People are being advised to attend any planned appointments scheduled during the strikes unless they have been contacted to reschedule.
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Will doctors accept late deal to avoid strikes?
Flu vaccinations on the up… who can get one?
The NHS is urging anyone eligible to get their flu vaccination to help prevent them getting seriously ill.
Latest figures show more than 17.4 million people have been vaccinated so far this year, more than 381,000 higher than last year.
You can get it if you:
• Are 65 or over in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Are pregnant
• Live in a care home
• Are the main carer for an older or disabled person, or receive carer’s allowance
• Live with someone who has a weakened immune system
• Are a frontline health and social care worker
• Are of school age
• Have certain medical conditions (the NHS has a full list)
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, warned of a “tidal wave of flu tearing through our hospitals”.
“We are working with the NHS to make sure it is able to cope with this as best as possible,” he said.
Warning ‘extremely challenging few weeks ahead’
Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS national medical director, warned the health service faces “an extremely challenging few weeks ahead” with “staff being pushed to the limit”.
She said: “With record demand for A&E and ambulances and an impending resident doctors’ strike, this unprecedented wave of super flu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year – with staff being pushed to the limit to keep providing the best possible care for patients.
“The numbers of patients in hospital with flu is extremely high for this time of year. Even worse, it continues to rise and the peak is not in sight yet, so the NHS faces an extremely challenging few weeks ahead.”
She added: “We have prepared earlier for winter than ever before, and stress-tested services to ensure people have a range of ways to get the help they need and avoid needing to go to A&E.
“For non-life-threatening care, people should call NHS 111 or use 111 online, which can direct you to the most appropriate place, and use A&E and 999 for life threatening conditions and serious injuries.”
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Mr Streeting has offered the British Medical Association (BMA) a last-minute deal in the hope doctors will call off the walkout, which starts next Wednesday.
The doctors’ union has agreed to put the offer to members over the coming day, and is expected to announced a decision on Monday, just two days before the planned strike.
The offer includes a fast expansion of specialist training posts as well as covering out-of-pocket expenses such as exam fees, but does not include extra pay.
The spread of subclade K, the super flu, is picking up – and it’s not looking good for the NHS.
An average of just under 2,700 hospital beds a day in England were occupied by patients with flu last week.
There are fears that could jump to somewhere between 5,000 and 8,000 by the end of this week.
That’s on top of COVID and RSV.
And with the possibility of a five-day strike by resident (junior) doctors next week, it’s a perfect storm for hospitals.
An NHS hospital ward at Ealing Hospital in London. Pic: PA
Christmas flu
Children are the super-spreaders of flu. It races around classrooms and some schools have temporarily shut because of the impact.
The Christmas holidays aren’t far off. They are likely to put the brakes on children passing around the virus.
But it’s also a time of year when families mix with elderly relatives, who are more likely to be hit hard by the infection – perhaps even needing hospital care.
So while the holidays may temporarily slow the overall rise in infections, the impact on hospitals could get much worse.
File pic: PA
Subclade K
Flu is spreading so rapidly at the moment because immunity to subclade K from previous infections and vaccinations is low.
The virus – a variant of the H3N2 flu strain – suddenly acquired seven new mutations in late summer.
Every 100 people infected with seasonal flu would typically pass the virus on to 120 others.
With subclade K, it’s 140.
And that’s why cases are rising so quickly on the charts.
At the moment, 18 in every 100,000 patients in England are consulting their GP with flu-like symptoms. That’s still well short of the peak of around 50 in every 100,000 in 2017/18, the worst flu outbreak in recent years.
File pic: PA
The grim reality of flu
Flu is a really unpleasant disease, nothing like a cold. I’ve had it twice in my life and it physically hurt to get out of bed. It’s grim.
Most people get over it with a few days’ rest and paracetamol to take the edge off the fever.
But vulnerable people can become seriously ill. In the outbreak of 2017/18, around 22,000 died.
Read more:
Nurses ‘deeply concerned about what lies ahead’
NHS braced for ‘toughest winter’ after record-breaking month
That’s why the NHS is urging people in certain groups – the over 65s, those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women, carers and children – to get the jab.
The vaccine isn’t a great match for subclade K, but still reduces the chance of hospital admission by 30-40% in adults.
It’s impossible to say when the spread will peak, but the latest figures suggest the outbreak is far from over.
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