Complainants should ‘go to police’ over Tory MP rape allegations – minister

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Complainants should “go to the police” with any allegations of rape against a Tory MP, a minister has suggested, amid calls for an investigation into the Conservative Party’s handling of reported accusations. It comes after it was reported that Sir Jake Berry, a former Tory Party chairman, told police that an internal “failure” to act on allegations of rape allowed an unnamed MP to “continue to offend”. But I would urge them to go to the police so they can be properly looked into.” Asked whether the Government would support an inquiry, she told Sky News: “I think the nature of the allegation is so serious that the right place for it to go to would be, if someone has got that kind of allegation, would be to go to the police.” Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats called for an investigation by the Conservative Party, with the Opposition saying that a failure do so would be a “failure of leadership and a dereliction of duty”. He told Times Radio: “I’m not denying that it could be the case that those payments were made, but it is not something that I authorised or part of as chairman of the Conservative Party.” Sir Jake’s letter, seen by the MoS, suggests that an unnamed MP had assaulted as many as five people with little to no consequence, with some allegations including several claims of rape.