Rob Roberts: Stay away from Parliament, disgraced MP told

An MP suspended for sexual harassment has been told to stay away from the House of Commons by the Conservative Party.

Delyn MP Rob Roberts received a six-week suspension after an independent panel found he sexually harassed a member of his staff.

He can return to Parliament on Thursday, but BBC Wales has been told Tory party figures advised him not to.

Mr Roberts has not responded to requests for comment.

A senior Labour MP said that despite the advice there is nothing to stop the MP for Delyn returning to the Commons.

The former employee who was harassed said the fact Mr Roberts could return after his suspension showed the process needed to be reformed.

Mr Roberts was suspended for sexual misconduct in May, but did not face a recall petition on whether to hold a by-election because the punishment was handed out by the independent panel, rather than a parliamentary committee.

Senior cross-party politicians said he should have quit, but UK ministers will not hold a vote to expel him.

He had the Conservative whip suspended, so can return as an independent MP. He remains a member of the Conservative Party, but BBC Wales was told this remains under review.

Mr Roberts's former senior parliamentary assistant told BBC Wales he felt "some disappointment" a recall petition would not take place.

He added: "At the moment, an MP found guilty of sending personal correspondence using house-headed paper is being treated more severely than MPs that are being found guilty of varying offences involving harassment, bullying and sexual harassment."

The former employee said he was "very relieved" to get closure after his complaint against Mr Roberts was upheld.

However, he added: "If complaints against MPs are upheld, it shouldn't be that they take a leave of absence and then come back.

"It should be like in any other industry: that they are dismissed from their role or - in the case of an MP - they go to a recall petition."

He said Parliament was a "very strange place" and was not up to date "with how employment should be in modern times".

Echoing calls from senior cross-party politicians for Mr Roberts to resign, the MP's former employee added: "I just think it's very unfair on his constituents.

"I don't think that they can have faith in him as a representative."

He said both the Conservative Party and Parliament needed to look at this case as a "precedent," and called for more of a "set timetable" for how long such complaints are dealt with.

Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg is looking at a way to change the rules so future suspensions for sexual harassment and bullying judged by the panel can trigger a recall petition.

BBC Wales has been told the UK government does not want this to apply to previous cases, although Labour politicians have proposed a change to the rules that mean it would.

Shadow Leader of the House Thangam Debbonaire told the Commons on Thursday that "everyone knows this needs sorting".

"There's actually nothing to stop him returning," she said. "Staff have concerns. Things can be done retrospectively when the government wants to.

"Why should the people of Delyn be denied the right to the value of democracy, because of a technicality, we know we're going to fix?"

In response, Mr Rees-Mogg said it was "very important that this is done on a consensual basis", adding it was open to Labour to put its proposal forward on one of the days set aside for opposition parties to hold debates.

Another Labour frontbencher, Jess Phillips, posed a question on social media, saying: "If the Tory Party don't think he should come to parliament why on earth do we think it's OK for him to see vulnerable constituents on his own in Delyn?"

In response to the comments by Mr Roberts's former employee, a Commons spokesman said: "We remain committed to streamlining the ICGS process in the coming months and significant work has already been undertaken to reduce delays, including procuring new investigation providers and expanding capacity to deal with casework."

A spokesman on behalf of the Conservative Whips Office said the whip remained suspended from Mr Roberts.