Rishi Sunak is braced for yet another by-election, as Conservative MP Peter Bone was found to have committed acts of bullying and sexual misconduct.
The complaint was filed to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) in October 2021, after the complainant first raised the issue with the Conservative Party in 2017.
Despite concerns being raised, Bone was promoted by Boris Johnson to a paid ministerial role as Deputy Leader of the House of Commons in July 2022, a role he held until September 2022.
He was paid approximately £22,375 for the role, in addition to his annual salary which was around £81,932 at the time.
The Independent Expert Panel has recommended a suspension of six weeks, finding Bone guilty of bullying and indecent exposure
PA
When asked about the appointment, the PM's official spokesperson said it was a decision made by a previous government.
The ICGS investigation began in September 2022 after the complainant withdrew from the Conservative Party process which had not yet concluded.
The Independent Expert Panel has recommended a suspension of six weeks, finding Bone guilty of bullying and indecent exposure.
If a majority of MPs vote for the suspension, the Recall of MPs Act 2015 will be triggered - meaning that a by-election can be triggered if there is a successful petition to recall them.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards upheld five allegations of bullying and one of sexual misconduct.
Bone appealed the decision, but it was dismissed by the IEP sub-panel as having raised no substantive grounds.
The IEP described Bone's case as a "serious case of misconduct", saying: "The bullying involved violence, shouting and swearing, mocking, belittling and humiliating behaviour, and ostracism."
It added: "This wilful pattern of bullying also included an unwanted incident of sexual misconduct, when the complainant was trapped in a room with the respondent in a hotel in Madrid, […].
"This was a deliberate and conscious abuse of power using a sexual mechanism: indecent exposure."
If the House of Commons agrees the recommended suspension, a “recall petition” will be opened in Bone’s constituency.
If 10 per cent of the electorate in the constituency sign the petition within six weeks, the seat will be declared vacant, and a by-election held.
Hitting back at the allegations, Bone said: "As I have maintained throughout these proceedings, none of the misconduct allegations against me ever took place.
"They are false and untrue claims. They are without foundation."
In a statement, he continued: "The allegation by an ex-employee refer to events more than 10 years ago that spanned no more than a few months. The complainant first made the allegations years after they left my employment."
He claimed the investigation by the ICGS was "flawed, procedurally unfair and didn't comply with its own rules and regulations".
Bone added: "It is my belief that they have operated outside of the powers given to them by parliament and I am currently discussing with lawyers what action could and should be taken."
Rishi Sunak is facing two by-elections this Friday in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth.
The Tamworth by-election was triggered after former Conservative chief whip Chris Pincher was found to have committed acts of sexual misconduct.
Meanwhile, the by-election in Mid Bedfordshire was triggered after Nadine Dorries resigned.