Conservatives admit they failed to do enough to weed out rogue MPs after scandals

The Conservatives have admitted they must do more to prevent rogue candidates running to be MPs, after the scandal of a Tory convicted for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.

Mark Spencer, the Commons leader, blamed having to make “rapid” selections of candidates for recent snap elections for not being able to “scrutinise people” fully.

“The Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, will all have selected candidates quite quickly, not realising a general action was coming,” Mr Spencer said.

“I think we’ll be in a much better place at the next general election, certainly in the [Conservative] party, as we will have taken much more time to scrutinise people. There will be a much longer process.”

The comments come after Westminster has been engulfed in allegations of misogyny, bullying and other bad behaviour, triggering calls for major changes.

Imran Ahmad Khan, elected as the MP for Wakefield at the 2019 general election, was forced to resign after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy at a party in 2008.

Neil Parish, an MP for 12 years, quit after admitting to having watched pornography in the Commons chamber, having been witnessed by two female colleagues.

And a third Tory, David Warburton, was suspended after three women reportedly complained about his conduct. First elected in 2015, the MP also faces allegations about drug use and an undeclared loan from a Russian businessman.

Meanwhile, the Labour MP Liam Byrne was found to have bullied a former staff member and will be suspended from the Commons for two days.

“I don’t think having two rapid general elections in a row has helped parliamentary parties,” Mr Spencer told the House magazine, in parliament.

Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, has proposed a shake-up that would see responsibility for hiring staff transferred from MPs to a separate independent body.

But Mr Spencer declined to commit to the idea, saying: “If I’m a member of staff in an office where my boss is abusing me, whether or not he’s paying my wages is not the issue here.

“What actually is the issue is me being abused. But it is certainly something that can help with the conversation and help with moving in the right direction.”

It emerged last month that Khan was given a place on a Home Office expert panel offering advice on sexual exploitation, while under police investigation.

Boris Johnson as urged to apologise over evidence that he remained on the panel long after the Conservative party received a complaint from his victim.

But the prime minister declined, telling MPs: “I believe the Home Office has already made a statement about it.”