Wakefield MP convicted of sex assault resigns from Parliament

Imran Ahmad Khan is expected to leave Parliament on Tuesday

Imran Ahmad Khan
Author: Liam ArrowsmithPublished 29th Apr 2022

Former Conservative MP Imran Ahamd Khan is expected to cease being an MP on Tuesday, three weeks after being convicted of sexually assaulting a boy.

It's understood he handed his resignation into The Treasury and is expected to leave Parliament on Tuesday, meaning he'll receive his full pay for April.

Khan said he sent the letter triggering the process on Monday, despite having announced his intention to resign on April 15.

He said he expects the process to finish on Saturday, but it was understood it would not happen until the next working day, with Monday being a bank holiday.

The Wakefield MP was found guilty of sexually assaulting the 15-year-old at Southwark Crown Court on April 11.

There were suggestions that a proper process needed to be followed before he could resign.

But parliamentary officials stressed that an MP can resign at any moment and pointed towards the case of Owen Paterson.

The Conservative announced his resignation from the "cruel world of politics" on November 4 after being embroiled in a lobbying scandal and an attempt to ward off his suspension.

The next morning, the Treasury announced he had been formally stood down from the seat of North Shropshire by being appointed to the Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, one of the archaic means of resigning MPs.

Khan was expected to be appointed to the Chiltern Hundreds.

The disgraced politician had been resisting calls to resign until conceding it would be it "intolerable" for voters in the West Yorkshire constituency to have muted representation while he appeals the conviction.

He said the move would allow him to "focus entirely on clearing my name".

After his departure is confirmed, it will set up a challenging by-election for both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.