Crispin Blunt MP arrested on suspicion of rape and possession of drugs
"I do not intend to say anything further on this matter until the police have completed their inquiries"
The senior Conservative MP, Crispin Blunt, has been arrested on suspicion of rape and the possession of drugs.
On Thursday (26 October) the MP for Reigate, 63, confirmed reports in the media that an MP had been arrested.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the Surrey MP posted a statement saying, “The fact of the arrest requires a formal notification of the speaker and then my chief whip.
“I do not intend to say anything further on this matter until the police have completed their inquiries” – Crispin Blunt
“I have now been interviewed twice in connection with this incident, the first time three weeks ago, when I initially reported my concern over extortion. The second time was earlier this morning under caution following arrest.
“The arrest was unnecessary as I remain ready to cooperate fully with the investigation that I am confident will end without charge,” Blunt continued. “I do not intend to say anything further on this matter until the police have completed their inquiries,” he added.
Blunt has had the whip suspended meaning that he has effectively been expelled from the Conservative Party. He will now sit in the House of Commons in Parliament as an Independent member.
In a statement to Attitude, Surrey Police confirmed that a “man in his 60s was arrested on Wednesday morning (25 October) in Horley on suspicion of rape and possession of controlled substances.”
The statement closed: “He has been released on conditional police bail pending further enquiries.”
Speaking on Times Radio, the Cabinet minister, Gillian Keegan, has said there is no “cultural issue” among Tory MPs. Blunt is the latest Tory MP to be suspended.
Blunt was first elected as the Member for Reigate in May 1997 and has sat as a Conservative since. He announced last year he would run in the 2024 election but not as a Conservative.
In his time on the green benches, he has also served as a prison minister. In 2010 he announced he had split from his wife as he “decided to come to terms with [my] homosexuality.”