The Conservative MP David Warburton has announced that he is resigning his seat.
Warburton was suspended from the party in April 2022 pending the outcome of an independent complaints and grievance scheme (ICGS) investigation into allegations of harassment and drug use.
He told the Mail on Sunday he is quitting because he feels he was denied a fair hearing by the watchdog over the claims that he made unwanted advances to two women.
The outgoing MP for Somerton and Frome admitted taking cocaine after drinking “incredibly potent” Japanese whisky, but denies claims of harassment.
His departure leaves the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, facing four byelections after the resignations of Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams last week. Dorries has said she will not formally resign until after she gets answers from ministers about why she did not get her peerage.
Warburton became MP for the Somerset constituency in 2015, securing the country’s biggest swing to the Tories. He won again in 2019 with a majority of more than 19,000.
According to the Mail on Sunday, in his resignation letter Warburton said the “malicious allegations” and a “flawed” 14-month investigation “has inflicted unimaginable and intolerable destruction on my family and on me”.
In response, a Conservative party spokesperson said: “The independent complaints and grievance scheme is an independent body set up by parliament and the Conservative party respects its processes. Mr Warburton had the whip withdrawn over these complaints last April and has not sat in parliament as a Conservative since.”
The Lib Dem deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, said: “Time after time the Conservatives have mired themselves in sleaze and scandal neglecting the issues that really matter to people. Then they decided it was okay to leave local people in this seat without any proper representation at all.
“This byelection will be a clear contest between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Labour finished third last time and are completely out of the race.”