Veteran gay Tory MP Crispin Blunt arrested on suspicion of rape

Tory MP Crispin Blunt has been arrested on suspicion of rape as well as possession of controlled substances.

The senior Conservative and former justice minister was arrested on Wednesday (October 25) and later released on bail, Surrey police confirmed to the BBC.

Blunt was initially unnamed and identified as a man in his 60s, but the Reigate representative later made it known that he was the MP who had been arrested, releasing a statement regarding the incident.

After Blunt came forward, the Tory party withdrew the whip, meaning that he will sit as an independent MP. He has also been asked to stay away from parliament.

In his statement, Blunt said that he had been interviewed twice by police and was fully cooperating, adding that he was confident he would not be charged.

The MP claims that he had first spoken to police “three weeks ago” when he reported his concern over “extortion.”

He described the arrest as “unnecessary as I remain ready to cooperate fully with the investigation that I am confident will end without charge.”

Blunt added: “I do not intend to say anything further on this matter until the police have completed their inquiries.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Surrey Police said of the arrest: “A police spokesman said: “We can confirm a man in his 60s was arrested yesterday morning (25 October) in Horley, on suspicion of rape and possession of controlled substances.

“He has been released on conditional police bail pending further inquiries.”

Last year, Blunt apologised for repeatedly defending former fellow MP Imran Ahmad Khan, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage boy.

Blunt had sparked outrage and calls for his resignation by defending Khan, describing his conviction as a “miscarriage of justice.”

While retracting the shocking comments in April 2022, Blunt also resigned as chair of the APPG for Global LGBT+ Rights, stating that he had feared his misguided defence of Khan risked distracting the group “from its important purpose.”

In May 2022, Blunt announced that he planned to stand down at the next general election.

Blunt’s arrest this week marks the latest in a string of sexual misconduct allegations to hit Rishi Sunak’s party.

In May 2022, another MP, who can not be named for legal reasons, was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, indecent assault, abuse of a position of trust, and rape, though he has not been charged as of yet.

Crispin Blunt was first elected as a Tory MP for Reigate in the 1997 general election. Since then, he has also served for two years as a justice minister and two years as chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Blunt publicly came out as gay in 2010, announcing that he had separated from his wife and was “coming to terms with his homosexuality.”

The Conservative Party has not yet publicly commented on Blunt’s arrest.