MP Rob Roberts' return to Commons 'worrying staff'

Staff are worried about the return of Rob Roberts to the House of Commons, a senior Labour MP has said.

The Delyn MP was suspended from Parliament after a panel found he sexually harassed an employee. He is expected back in about a month's time.

Thangam Debbonaire said he showed "no sign of resigning" and called on the Tories to trigger a recall petition.

Leader of the house Jacob Rees-Mogg invited Labour to hold its own debate about the matter in the Commons.

The former employee told BBC Wales in May that Mr Roberts repeatedly propositioned him and asked him to be "less alluring".

Despite the six-week suspension, which ends on 8 July, a recall petition has not been triggered in Mr Roberts' seat because the independent expert panel that sanctioned him is not a parliamentary committee.

Suspensions of more than 10 sitting days issued by Parliament's Standards Committee automatically trigger recall petitions, which can trigger a by-election if enough voters sign them.

Despite calls from within his own party for Mr Roberts to quit - including from Mr Rees Mogg - he remains an MP.

Although the parliamentary party had removed his whip, meaning he sits as an independent, he is still a member of the Conservative party.

In the Commons, Ms Debbonaire told MPs she was "disappointed that the government has not taken responsibility for the loophole, which means that a member can be subject to a parliamentary recall petition by their constituents for an expenses charge, but not for serious sexual harassment".

The shadow leader of the house added: "A member who has been sexually harassing staff will return to Parliament within weeks and shows no signs of resigning.

"Staff are worried - constituents have every right to be concerned."

She asked if Mr Rees-Mogg could confirm that the public could use the parliamentary petitions process to trigger a debate and asked why Mr Roberts was still "apparently a member of the Conservative party".

"Could he bring forward motions needed so that the people of Delyn can decide if they want to ditch their MP?"

In reply, Mr Rees-Mogg argued that Labour could trigger its own debate on an opposition day in the Commons.

"If she wants to debate membership of this house for individual members, I call for her to put down a motion", he said.

Motions passed by MPs during opposition day debates are not binding on the Commons or government.