MP Christian Matheson resigns triggering by-election over serious sexual misconduct

Christian Matheson resigned after a scathing report found he sent a junior staffer from the House of Commons a ‘sexually motivated, unwanted’ invitation to a trip to Gibraltar, ‘aggressively made her hold his hand’ and tried to kiss her on the mouth at a dark bus stop

Labour MP for the City of Chester of Christian Matheson during Prime Minister’s Questions last year (

Image: PA)

A disgraced Labour MP has triggered a by-election battle after he resigned from Parliament over “serious” sexual misconduct.

A scathing report found Christian Matheson invited a young junior member of staff from the House of Commons on a trip to Gibraltar in a way that was “sexually motivated, unwanted” and “intimidated” her.

He said the December 2019 jaunt would be a “private trip which he asked her to keep secret, even from her close family”, the blistering report found. The trip did not take place.

A month later, after “drinking heavily” at a work dinner, he “made personal comments about her appearance while looking at her suggestively” and “aggressively made her hold his hand as they left”.

The MP “insisted” on joining her at a “quiet and dark” bus stop where he gave her a “really long lingering” kiss on the forehead, the report found.

The woman pulled away, but he “pulled her to him again for the second kiss, and she pulled away again”. He then “attempted to kiss her on the mouth, but she jerked away from him”. He also invited her back to his flat.

MP Christian Matheson has been booted out of the Labour Party and faces losing his seat (

Image:

Chris McAndrew / UK Parliament (Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)))

Mr Matheson today insisted “I had no sexual motivation in this matter” and said some the allegations were untrue. 

But the standards report found the dinner allegations were “proved”, it was “reasonable” to see the Gibraltar trip as sexually motivated, and his bid to appeal was refused.

Parliament’s Independent Expert Panel, set up in the wake of the ‘Pestminster’ scandal, found it was a “serious breach” of the behaviour code for MPs.

It recommended the City of Chester MP, who has a 6,164 majority over the Tories, was suspended from the Commons for four weeks – which would likely have triggered a by-election.

But Mr Matheson immediately announced he will stand down from Parliament – avoiding a formal sanction and triggering a by-election.

Labour began investigating and suspended Mr Matheson from Labour membership and the Labour whip after the report was released on Friday.

Chief Whip Alan Campbell spoke to Mr Matheson on Friday morning and told him to stay away from Westminster.

But the Prospect union, which represents Parliamentary staff, demanded to know why this had not happened sooner.

The Palace of Westminster (

Image:

Getty Images)

General Secretary Mike Glancy said: “It is worrying that while he was being investigated he remained able to attend the Houses of Parliament. 

“In no other workplace would someone being investigated for such serious offences be free to continue visiting it.

“MPs must get a grip on this issue – it is simply unacceptable that those working in Parliament continue to be put at risk in this way.”

The panel found Mr Matheson’s behaviour at the dinner was “unwanted and unwelcome sexual advances, which she did her best in difficult circumstances to resist.”

He “had been drinking heavily, he was persistent in his pursuit of her” the report said.

“A witness at the dinner had warned him that he was being over-familiar with her and making an idiot of himself,” the report said. “Later that night he sent her a text saying ‘Don’t be angry with me’.”

Mr Matheson claimed he had not invited her back to his flat or tried to kiss her on the mouth. He claimed his “concern for her welfare had been nothing more than ‘fatherly’, as if to a daughter”. But this version of events was rejected as “not being credible”.

The report said Mr Matheson’s “remorse is half-hearted” because he was still denying some conduct. It added there were “serious aggravating factors”.

A Labour spokesperson said: “This is an incredibly serious case. There must be a zero tolerance for sexual harassment and the Labour party has acted immediately following the ICGS findings.

“We will now select a candidate that the people of Chester can be proud to vote for.”

Mr Matheson said: “I have today, with great sadness, tendered my resignation as Member of Parliament for the City of Chester. 

“This follows publication of a report which had found me guilty of sexual misconduct.

“From the start I accepted I had committed a minor breach of the code and had hoped that an honest and open approach would stand me in a fair light. This has proven not to be the case and I am dismayed that I have been found guilty of several allegations that I know to be untrue. 

“Indeed my insistence on what I know to be true – that I had no sexual motivation in this matter – was held against me as a refusal to accept my guilt, and caused an increased sanction which I felt was disproportionate.

“Despite provable factual inaccuracies in the sanctions report, my appeal against sanction was not even considered, for the same reason.

“Therefore, I faced a suspension from the House of four weeks. Whilst I believe that this is an excessive and unfair penalty, I cannot challenge the process further. 

“I believe that the honourable and right thing to do now is to resign my seat and seek to rebuild my life elsewhere. I would ask for privacy for my family.

“This matter has also caused a great toll on my health, requiring my hospitalisation, and I ask that my privacy is respected while I recover.

“I will forever be grateful to my constituency, and my party, for giving me the honour to serve, and I apologise to the people of Chester, and to the House of Commons, for the disrepute I have brought. I once again apologise to the complainant in my case, for the hurt I have caused.”