Christian Matheson (Labour MP for Chester) has abruptly resigned as an MP today, after the Independent Expert Panel – a parliamentary watchdog – recommended that he be suspended for four weeks from Westminster.
The Panel’s recommendation followed allegations of sexual misconduct brought against Mr Matheson by a former member of his staff.
In in his resignation statement, the Chester MP accepted that he had committed a minor breach of the rules, but detailed how he was “dismayed” to have been found guilty of several allegations “that I known to be untrue”.
Having unsuccessfully appealed against his four week suspension, Mr Matheson said, “I believe that the honourable and right thing to do now is to resign my seat and seek to rebuild my life elsewhere”.
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Mr Matheson’s resignation will now prompt a by-election in the City of Chester. The seat was won by Labour in 2019 with a majority 6164. The Labour Party is expected to retain the seat, given the size of its lead in national opinion polls.
Matheson was first elected as shadow minister for media between 2020 and 2021. Before being elected to parliament, he worked as an electricity manager.
Mr Matheson’s case is the latest in a series of sexual complaint allegations this year.
Patrick Grady, former Chief whip of SNP, was suspended for two days from the Commons after the Independent panel upheld allegations that the MP had made an unwelcome sexual advance to a party worker.
In May, Neil Parish, then Conservative MP, resigned after admitting to watching pornography on a mobile phone in the Commons chamber.
