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14 July 2021

Commons Confidential: Hancock: the director’s cut

Your weekly dose of gossip from around Westminster.  

By Kevin Maguire

Sexual predator Rob Roberts was suspended for six weeks at the end of May, and finally had the Conservative whip withdrawn, after an independent expert panel found the Delyn MP made repeated unwanted sexual advances towards a male staff member. BBC Wales revealed a year earlier he also pestered an upset 21-year-old female intern struggling with her mental health to “fool around” with him in London. So imagine the revulsion when a young woman in his constituency received a personalised 18th birthday card from Roberts with the printed invitation: “If I can help with any query or if you would just like to meet me for a chat about an issue do let me know by getting in touch…” Many MPs send automated greetings, but my snout described this one as “creepy”, particularly when the originator is holding a seat the Tories won by just 865 votes and is exploiting a recall law loophole to avoid a by-election.

[See also: Boris Johnson’s Tyrone Mings problem is bigger than you think]

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