A

Tory

MP has had their whip removed following this incident.

accused of two charges related to sexual assault

.

Patrick Spencer, who represents Central Suffolk and North Ipswich as an Member of Parliament, faces charges related to two instances of sexual assault. The allegations stem from purported events at the Groucho Club located in central London.

London

, in August 2023.

The lawyers representing the Member of Parliament stated: “Patrick Spencer firmly refutes the allegations.”

He has been entirely cooperative with the police investigation since learning about it, and he intends to vigorously contest these accusations when they come before the court.

He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London on Monday, June 16.

The

Conservative Party

confirmed Spencer has now had the whip suspended ahead of his first court appearence next month.

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here

.

However, what does it really mean to suspend ‘the whip’? And what exactly constitutes a ‘whip’ in the UK political system?

politics

Here’s everything you need to understand.

In politics, what is the role of a ‘whip’?

Party whips are legislators who assist in ensuring members of their political party vote in line with the party’s platform.


UK Parliament

explains on its official website: ‘Whips are MPs or Members of the House of Lords appointed by each party in Parliament to help organise their party’s contribution to parliamentary business.

‘One of their responsibilities is making sure the maximum number of their party members vote, and vote the way their party wants.’

A whip should promote discipline and keep the party in line, ideally so all MPs are voting in the same way in the House of Commons – especially important if a party has a small majority in government.

There is a Chief Whip, too, who oversees this whipping system for each party in Parliament.

Labour’s Chief Whip is the MP for Tynemouth, Sir Alan Campbell, while the Tories have Rebecca Harris, MP for Castle Point.

What does ‘to have the whip suspended’ mean?

Losing the whip, or having the whip suspended or stripped, means an MP has been dropped from the party.

It could end up being permanent, or it could be temporary. The MP hasn’t lost their constituency – so is still an MP – but is considered independent (without a party), unless the whip is restored.

According to the UK Parliament website, ‘the whip’ can also refer to a weekly circular sent to MPs or Lords, which provides detail on upcoming business in Parliament.

The document states: ‘Particular emphasis is placed on divisions (the sections where members participate in votes after discussions), which are ordered based on their significance as indicated by the frequency of underline usage.’




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