Deputy Speaker Quizzed Over Gay Rape

Held: The Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Tory MP Nigel Evans, has been arrested over allegations of rape and sexual assault relating to two men

Mr Evans, right, is pictured with pop group the Cheeky Girls at a Parliamentary Palace of Varieties show for charity. He is joined by Lembit Opik MP, left, and Stephen Pound MP, centre,

In UK, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons was arrested yesterday over allegations of rape and sexual assault relating to two men.

Nigel Evans was taken to a police station in Lancashire, where he is Conservative MP for Ribble Valley, and questioned over offences dating from 2009 to March this year.

Forensic teams were searching his two homes in London and Pendleton, Lancashire, as part of their inquiries.

Officers search the MP's white Saab convertible parked in his home village of Pendleton in Lancashire

Yesterday afternoon, they could be seen examining his white Saab convertible, which was parked near his constituency home.

By last night, no charges had been made against Mr Evans, who came out as gay in a 2010 article for The Mail on Sunday.

 

Going home- Nigel Evans was last night driven from Preston police station after questioning by detectives

This is the latest, and potentially most explosive, in a series of high-profile arrests over allegations of a sexual nature, some of which go back more than 40 years.

There have been wild rumours about the involvement of politicians – but until now, none has been arrested.

The arrest of the Deputy Speaker, one of the most prestigious public positions in Britain, brings the matter right to the heart of the Establishment.

Allegations against Mr Evans, 55, concern incidents that are said to have taken place from 2009 right up to a few weeks ago, spanning the entire period during which he has officiated over Commons debates in the famous Speaker’s chair. They are understood to relate to two men in their 20s.

Mr Evans, left, is pictured with Speaker John Bercow, right, at last year's Gay Pride march

Both Speaker John Bercow and David Cameron have been told of the arrest. Mr Bercow said: ‘It’s been a total shock. 'Nigel is a popular and well-liked character. No one can quite believe what’s happened.’

A spokeswoman for Lancashire police told this newspaper yesterday: ‘A 55-year-old man from Pendleton in Lancashire has today been arrested by Lancashire Constabulary on suspicion of rape and sexual assault.

'The man will be interviewed at a police station in Lancashire during the course of the day. The offences are alleged to have been committed in Pendleton between July 2009 and March 2013.

 

Mr Evans is pictured with Lembit Opik MP, left, and Stephen Pound MP, centre, at a charity show event

Mr Evans refused to name the Labour politician, but added: ‘I could not afford it to be used as leverage against me. I couldn’t take the risk. I don’t want any other MP to face that kind of nastiness again.

‘I am sure there are other gay MPs who would like to be open about their sexuality but are fearful of the consequences. I hope this new group will help them to do so.’

Mr Evans’s decision to come out was partly as a result of a chance conversation with a friend, the actress Vicky Entwistle, who played Janice Battersby in Coronation Street and who lives in Mr Evans’s Ribble Valley constituency.