By Ben Kerrigan-
Four additional women have complained to the parliamentary authorities about MP Julian Knight(pictured) since police dropped an investigation into him, it has been reported.
Parliamentary authorities are understood to have received fresh allegations believed to be about inappropriate comments made by the Solihull MP.
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The complaints now make a total of nine women who have raised concerns about his behaviour. Five of these women have raised sexual misconduct complaints about him to the police, the BBC reported.
Mr Knight has strongly denied any wrongdoing and said a “single” and “baseless” complaint was made about him to detectives last year. The force dropped the probe last month
The BBC first revealed that five different women and a third-party witness have raised sexual misconduct allegations about him to the police.
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Some of the complaints allege there was a pattern of behaviour, with Knight contacting women on social media to offer career support before making inappropriate comments or approaches, the broadcaster said.
Knight, who was elected Conservative MP for Solihull, strongly denies wrongdoing.
He has said a “single” and “baseless” complaint was made about him to the Metropolitan police last October. He subsequently lost the party whip when news of the complaint emerged.
The force dropped the investigation last month, saying no arrests had been made, but his bid to have the Conservative whip restored was rejected over further complaints.
At the time, a spokesperson for the chief whip, Simon Hart, said the complaints would be referred to detectives “if appropriate”.
Knight told the PA news agency: “As I have repeatedly said, I am fully aware of the circumstances of the single complaint made against me to the Metropolitan police and the motivations of those involved in making it.
“This baseless complaint was dismissed by the police without their even feeling the need to interview me, which they never did.
“I have not been made aware of any details of allegations supposedly made subsequently against me to any parliamentary authorities.
“Nor am I the subject of any investigation by parliament’s independent complaints and grievance scheme.
“Should I become the subject of any such investigation, I will fully and publicly defend myself against any allegations.
“Meanwhile it is deplorable that, despite the police decision, I remain the subject of what appears to be a smear campaign conducted through leaks, false innuendo and briefings.
The politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Solihull since 2015. He is also the Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, a position he has held since 2020. However, Knight has been the subject of several misconduct allegations over the years.
Knight entered politics in 2015 when he was elected as the Conservative MP for Solihull, a constituency in the West Midlands. Since then, he has held a number of roles in Parliament, including serving on the Defence Select Committee and the Joint Committee on the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill. In 2020, he was elected as the Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, a role he still holds.
Historical Misconduct allegations
This is not the first time the politician has been the subject of a misconduct investigation.
In 2019, it was reported that he had been the subject of a complaint by a female journalist, who alleged that he had made inappropriate comments towards her at a Conservative Party conference.
The journalist, who was 28 at the time, alleged that Knight had made comments about her appearance, and had asked her if she was “up for it”. She also claimed that he had put his hand on her thigh under the table during a dinner.
Knight denied the allegations, and said that they were “completely untrue”. He said that he had no recollection of the events in question, and that he was confident that he had not behaved inappropriately.
The Conservative Party launched an investigation into the allegations, but it was later dropped due to a lack of evidence.
In addition to these allegations, Knight has also faced criticism for his behavioor in the House of Commons. In 2017, he was reprimanded by the Speaker of the House, John Bercow, for using “unparliamentary language” during a debate on Brexit.
Knight had described the behaviour of the Labour Party as “cowardly and chicken”, which Bercow said was “inappropriate and frankly sexist”
Knight has been the subject of several misconduct allegations over the years. In 2021, it was reported that he had been accused of bullying and harassment by a former member of staff. The staff member, who had worked for Knight for over three years, alleged that he had engaged in a pattern of “intimidating, threatening, and belittling” behavior towards her.
The allegations were made in a letter to Knight’s fellow Conservative MP, James Sunderland, who chairs the party’s complaints panel. The letter alleged that Knight had created a toxic work environment, and that his behaviour had resulted in the staff member suffering from anxiety, stress, and depression.
The letter also claimed that Knight had breached parliamentary rules by failing to provide a safe and healthy work environment, and that he had failed to comply with the requirements of the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), which was established in the wake of the Westminster sexual harassment scandal in 2017.
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