A Conservative MP has been arrested after a former parliamentary aide accused him of rape and sexual assault, according to reports.
The senior Conservative MP, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was taken into custody on Saturday morning shortly before the Metropolitan Police announced it had launched an investigation.
The man, in his 50s, was placed in custody at a police station in East London but has now been released on bail to a date in mid-August.
Speaking on Sunday, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said the government will “take all the steps that are necessary” following the arrest.
“This is a very serious allegation and it’s right that it’s treated as such,” he said.
“We need to be a political party that ensures women are safe and feel comfortable at all times and that’s exactly what we are doing.”
In a statement, a spokesman for Mark Spencer, the Government Chief Whip, said that he took “all allegations of harassment and abuse extremely seriously and has strongly encouraged anybody who has approached him to contact the appropriate authorities, including Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, which can formally carry out independent and confidential investigations.”
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