Bone’s Tory Whip Expulsion
Peter Bone, a former minister, lost his position as a Tory whip following an investigation into his involvement in sexual misconduct and bullying towards a staff member.
The Allegations and Independent Expert Panel
A study implicating former Conservative Party minister Peter Bone in abuse and sexual misconduct led to his expulsion.
Consequences: Independent MP Status
Having lost the Conservative whip, Mr. Bone will serve as an independent member of parliament.
“In response to a report by the Independent Expert Panel (IEP), the Chief Whip revoked the Conservative whip from Peter Bone MP,” stated a spokesperson for Chief Whip Simon Hart.
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The IEP of parliament discovered on Monday that Mr. Bone “trapped” a staff member in a room where he exposed himself, in what the panel termed a “deliberate and conscious abuse of power.”
The tribunal stated that between 2012 and 2013, Mr. Bone, the Member of Parliament for Wellingborough, “engaged in numerous diverse acts of bullying and one instance of sexual misconduct” against the staff member.
He was nominated for a six-week House of Commons suspension, risking another by-election and upsetting Rishi Sunak.
While vowing to continue representing his constituents, Mr. Bone described the allegations as “baseless” and “false and untrue.”
Mr Bone became deputy leader of the Commons in 2022 after Boris Johnson’s administration ended.
The Liberal Democrats have called for an investigation into the knowledge of the former prime minister and other high-ranking officials regarding the allegations against Mr. Bone at the time he was appointed to the frontbench position.
In October 2021, a Westminster employee made five allegations in response to an unresolved complaint lodged with then-prime minister Theresa May in 2017, according to the IEP.
The accusations named Mr. Bone and detailed four intimidation claims.
- “Verbally belittled, ridiculed, abused and humiliated” the employee.
- Constantly engaged in physical altercations and directed objects at him, including hand-to-hand contact and the projection of rolled-up documents or pencils.
- When the parliamentarian was unhappy with his work, instructed him to stay with his hands in his lap in a “unwanted and humiliating ritual”.
- Ostracized the complainant in Madrid on business due to an incident that occurred there.
The complainant further claimed that Mr. Bone “repeatedly pressurized” a staff member to perform a massage for him in the office and indecently exposed himself to the complainant in the bathroom and bedroom of the hotel room they were sharing during a visit to Madrid with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Human Trafficking.
The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, after conducting an inquiry, affirmed each of the four accusations of abuse and the allegation of sexual misconduct pertaining to the indecent exposure that occurred in Madrid. However, he determined that the massage demands constituted intimidation rather than sexual misconduct.
The IEP denied Mr. Bone’s appeal, calling his behaviour “a grave instance of misconduct.”
“The bullying included violence, shouting and swearing, ridicule, belittling, and humiliation, as well as social isolation,” stated the report.
“An undesirable incident of sexual misconduct occurred when the complainant was confined in a hotel room in Madrid with the respondent as part of this deliberate pattern of bullying.” This constituted a purposeful and aware misuse of authority through the use of a sexual mechanism—indecent exposure.”
Mr. Bone’s response to the findings was as follows: “As I have maintained throughout these proceedings, none of the alleged instances of malfeasance against me have ever occurred. These claims are false and misleading. “They lack a solid foundation.”
He stated that the complainant had not brought up the issues during their employment and that he was unable to “describe my views on the colossal inconsistencies and lack of evidence in the allegations” due to the regulations of the independent complaints scheme.
Mr. Bone stated that he is “debating with solicitors the appropriate and possible course of action.”
The Commons will now deliberate on the six-week suspension proposed by the IEP report for Mr. Bone. Parliamentarians who agree the punishment could call a by-election if 10% of eligible and registered voters sign a recall petition.
