LONDON – Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party has suspended a lawmaker over what it said were serious allegations, a step that could undermine the authority of her minority government as Britain seeks to iron out a Brexit deal with the European Union.
May’s Conservative Party refused to give any detail about the nature of the allegations against Charlie Elphicke, a Conservative lawmaker for Dover in southern England, but said it had referred the matter to the police.
Elphicke, formerly a tax lawyer who was first elected to his Dover seat in southern England in 2010, denied any wrongdoing.
“The party tipped off the press before telling me of my suspension,” he said on Twitter. “I am not aware of what the alleged claims are and deny any wrongdoing.”
May’s office did not respond to calls from Reuters about the allegations, whose nature was unclear. Email enquiries went unanswered. The Conservatives declined to comment.
May’s Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party are grappling with a slew of sexual harassment and abuse claims- many of them unsubstantiated- against British politicians.
The allegations have surfaced since the sexual abuse claims against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein prompted women and men in British politics to share stories about alleged improper behavior.
One of May’s most loyal ministers, Michael Fallon, resigned as defense secretary on Wednesday. Fallon, who had admitted touching a radio presenter’s knee in 2002, said his past conduct had fallen below the required standard. He gave no details.
May set out the code of conduct for her party on Friday detailing standards and procedures expected of elected and appointed party members.
She lost her party’s majority in parliament with a botched bet on a snap election in June, so now has to rely on a small Northern Irish party to ensure she can pass legislation.
With the support of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), May now has a slender working majority of about 13 in the 650-seat House of Commons.
Parliament remains bitterly divided over terms for Britain’s planned departure from the European Union. The pace of the Brexit talks remains slow, heightening the risk of Brexit in March 2019 without a deal on future relations with the EU, much to the alarm of business leaders.
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