Former Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan finally quits Wakefield seat following sex assault conviction

Controversial: Politics & Govt Politics & Govt: In The News
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Khan, who was convicted at Southwark Crown Court on April 11 after a trial over sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy, sent a letter triggering the resignation process last week.

The move came despite him declaring he would stand down on April 14 - 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, a formal mechanism allowing an MP to quit the Commons.

The disgraced politician 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.

His departure sets the stage for a critical by-election test for both Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer,

Wakefield was one of the traditional Labour heartlands seats seized by the Tories in the 2019 general election, known as the Red Wall.

Both party leaders will be under immense pressure to win the contest to show their approach is working.

Another disgrace to add to the Tory Party list … :bookmark:

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https://www.thenational.scot/news/20108064.crispin-blunt-quit-tory-mp-following-imran-ahmad-khan-row/

Crispin Blunt to quit as Tory MP following Imran Ahmad Khan row

A TORY MP who initially defended a colleague that was convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy is standing down from Parliament. Conservative MP Crispin Blunt, who retracted his defence and issued a public apology, has announced he will quit at the next election. He made the announcement in a statement posted on his website marking 25 years in Parliament.

“This statement is not the place for the tale of the ensuing 25 years,” the MP wrote. “But its purpose is to use this 25th anniversary to make public, what those closest to me have known privately for some time, that after seven increasingly tumultuous parliaments, this will be my last.”

Khan was thrown out of the Tory party following the verdict and Blunt had come under pressure from the Conservative hierarchy to withdraw his initial statement.

He also offered his resignation as chairman of an all-party parliamentary group on LGBT issues following protests from MPs about his comments.

As good as gone.

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Hi

Well here we go.

I am not Trust level 3, never will be, always the rebel.

I absolutely despise Boris, however I equally despise some on the labour benches.#

In fact I consider some on the Labour Side to be more of a threat than Boris and Co, whom I consider to be useless.

I want a change of Government.

I cannot vote Labour, simply because Starmer has not rid of the Lunatic Communists and the financially inept and stupidly Woke idiots who believe that terrorists should have the same rights as those they kill.

The Lib Dems want unlimited Immigration.

I do not, I genuinely believe that there are those we should never allow into the UK.

We have freedom of expression here in the UK.

My Daughter is a complete pain in the arse as far as I am concerned.

However she is entitled to be, she does not ever threaten violence to others and however much I disagree with her I will defend her right to be a pain in the arse forever.

The point is this, and it is important.

This used to be a very well modulated discussion forum.

Times have changed, far too many posts from those at TL3, who can change things, being biased.

Completely Anti Tory, not a single post about Labour Sleaze.

Labour Corruption has resulted in Liverpool personnel being arrested and charged with Criminal Offences.

We need a balance, sadly lacking.

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Swim I am sure we all miss Meg & Mags, who ran the old site well and never let their own opinions influence how they dealt with people… but I am sure they are now having more time to look after themselves & their families. :smiley:
TL3s are just people who have time to help Azz run the site. I am sure he would never have the time to read all the posts, but if any member does anything very wrong it will be Azz who decides what to do!
Most TL3s just try to help &, where they have a different opinion to me, I have no problem in politely disagreeing with them . Everybody has their own opinions on things & we should all be able to post them. I am sure that we all have different political opinions, but if any TL3 took action against my opposing opinion ( which none ever have) I would feel that this is not somewhere I would want to discuss important issues.
If we are completely honest, all politicians know the rules &should expect to be quietly reprimanded and possibly be removed if they break them. Sadly, having their mistakes reported on world news means that the general public form opinions without knowing all the facts ! Isn’t that a bit like having a jury member who only attends the trial every other day, but can still vote on whether the accused is guilty or innocent? :laughing:

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Hi

The voice of reason as usual Twinks.

I will listen and learn from you.

I am 7 years out from early retirement now.

I am still on the circulation list for some things.

That is a good example of how bad things are.

My Ex staff still contact me from time to time, give nothing away, they are well trained by me and I am very proud of them.

It is not Rocket Science to work out what is going on.

I have many years of contacts they do not.

An important point is that I keep out of it, an information giver, not a decision influencer.

Times change, life moves on, I accept that.

I am now a nobody, I quite like that.

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So what is going on ?

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Reading Crispin Blunt’s recent statement on his website, I get the impression that his decision to retire and not stand for re-election at the next General Election is something he had been planning or thinking about for a while, so his decision to stand down may not be the direct result of his statement criticising the Jury and the verdict in the case of Imran Ahmad Khan, which he later retracted.

Maybe it was a factor - or maybe the knowledge that he is not looking for support for future Elections made him feel more free to speak his mind about the Khan case, which he felt strongly about?
I don’t think it’s right for an MP to publicly criticise a Jury’s verdict in the way that he did (he did not even sit through the whole trial and hear all the evidence the Jury heard) He retracted that statement and apologised for it but once words are posted on a website and out there in the public domain, they cannot be “unsaid”

He has already resigned as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for LGBT+ but the last paragraph of his statement announcing he is stepping down at the end of this term of government makes me think he may be speaking out even more forcefully against the government policies he disagrees with.

“In looking forward to the next two years or so of this Parliament, whilst securing my re-election is no longer an interest, there will be continued joy in representing the citizens I’ve had the honour to serve for 25 years. I still enjoy the personal motivation to do this to the best of my ability, using my experience in their interests, individual and collective; to help secure the future of the Party that has given me this opportunity; and to also continue to call out long established populist views on policy shibboleths that continue to cause damage to our society and beyond.”

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You are not a nobody & your opinions are just as good as anyone else’s!
I often disagree with other members and reply to them, but don’t get into a heated argument because none of us are likely to change what happens.

Politicians are just like the rest of us , if they commit a sexual crime they will be arrested & tried in court. Personally I think they are all obsessed with sexual actions, not because they worry about them, but because other members view it as a way to get rid of them.
Perhaps they should all be questioned on a truth machine to see if they have molested anybody underage or raped and murdered anybody. If they haven’t broken any law then it should be up to a senior person to warn them that the consequences of breaking the rules again could result in them losing their job.

We should be embarrassed that our MPs behavior is broadcast to the rest of the world, when they haven’t broken the law! As for MPs of other countries, we don’t hear about their own members watching porn when working… but I bet quite a few have!

Imran Ahmad Kahn was convicted of an illegal act, so I have no problem in that being reported in the news!

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BBC News

The judge said he did not accept Khan had “any remorse” for what he had done.

Passing sentence at Southwark Crown Court, Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said the victim had been “profoundly psychologically affected” by Khan’s actions.

“But I do not consider the offence to be sufficiently severe enough to place the assault into the most severe category,” he added.

Earlier this month, Khan formally lodged an appeal against his conviction.

A by-election is expected to be held on 23 June to elect a new MP for Khan’s former constituency.

Two crucial byelections in Wakefield and in Tiverton and Honiton will take place on 23 June, with the Conservatives fighting to keep the seats from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

Both seats will be fought after the Tory MPs resigned following scandals. The former Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan resigned after being found guilty of child sexual assault against a 15-year-old boy. In the Devon seat, Neil Parish resigned as MP after admitting watching pornography twice in the House of Commons chamber.

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Ex-Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan has lost a Court of Appeal challenge against his conviction for sexual assault.