Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans’ House of Commons duties put on hold
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, the openly gay Conservative MP Nigel Evans, will not resume his duties in the chamber while police continue to investigate allegations against him.
Mr Evans denies allegations he raped a man and sexually assaulted another.
The 55-year-old, who was arrested on 4 May, had said he would be away from his duties only for a few days during the Queen’s Speech debates, which are due to conclude on Wednesday.
But a House of Commons spokesman on Monday said: “The Speaker (John Bercow) and Mr Evans, First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means, met on Tuesday 7 May and agreed that while Mr Evans will remain Deputy Speaker, he will not resume chairing duties while police investigations are ongoing.
“The Chairman of Ways and Means (Lindsay Hoyle) and Second Deputy Chairman (Dawn Primarolo) also support this approach.”
Mr Evans’ solicitor already said the MP does not intend to quit as Deputy Speaker or as an MP.
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