City of Chester set for by-election after MP Chris Matheson resigns following sexual misconduct claims

Chester MP Chris Matheson has resigned following an investigation by a Parliamentary watchdog into claims of “serious sexual misconduct.”

The Independent Expert Panel (IEP) has today published a report recommending that the Labour MP should be suspended for breaching Parliament’s Sexual Misconduct Policy.

But Matheson, who denies the accusations, has chosen to step down as an MP triggering a by-election in Chester.

A Labour spokesperson said they had immediately suspended Matheson from the party following the investigation, saying: “We will now select a candidate that the people of Chester can be proud to vote for.”

In a statement, Chris 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.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards upheld two allegations of sexual misconduct against Mr Matheson by a former junior member of his staff made under Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS).

One allegation is that in 2019 Matheson invited the female staff member to take a private trip to Gibraltar with him.

The Commissioner found that the invitation “was sexually motivated, unwanted, and had placed the complainant under pressure and intimidated her.”

The other allegation is that during a work-related corporate event held outside the Parliamentary estate; the Chester MP “linked arms with her; made personal comments about her appearance while looking at her suggestively; made her hold his hand as they left and insisted on accompanying her to her bus stop; and once there invited her back to his flat, kissed her twice on the forehead and attempted to kiss her on the mouth.

The Commissioner also concluded that several further incidents complained of by the complainant were breaches of the Behaviour Code, but, as she was not satisfied that they constituted “conduct of a sexual nature”, that they were not breaches of the Sexual Misconduct Policy.

The Commissioner concluded that these were all unwanted and unwelcome sexual advances.”

“Mr Matheson did not appeal the Commissioner’s decision, but has nevertheless contested some of her findings during the process for determining sanction. ” The IEP said.