UK MP suspended for 6 months for offering to buy drugs for sex workers

The United Kingdom Parliament has reportedly suspended Labour's Keith Vaz from the House of Commons for six months after he was found to have “expressed willingness” to buy cocaine during an encounter with male sex workers. The committee found that Vaz had breached the Commons code of conduct and shown disrespect for the House's standards system. MPs approved his suspension after the Parliament Standard Committee concluded in the report that Vaz had “disregarded” the law and has caused “significant damage” to the reputation and integrity of the Commons as a whole. 

The Labour Party has accepted the suspension recommendation without a vote on October 31 and described it as a “sad day” for the party. Vaz had also stepped down as chairman of the Home Affairs Committee back in 2016 after being accused of paying for the services of two male escorts. The scandal was reportedly exposed by an international media which claims that Vaz had offered to buy drugs for Romanian sex workers while posing as an industrial washing machine salesman called Jim. Vaz issued a public apology soon after the scandal apologizing for the 'hurt and distress' caused to his wife and children.

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Vaz rejects allegations

However, in a statement, Vaz rejected the allegations that he failed to cooperate with the inquiry and said that he had not committed any criminal acts. Earlier, Labour's shadow home secretary Diane Abbott says that Keith Vaz should stand aside as the party's candidate for Leicester East in the December election 12. The Chairperson of the Parliament Standards Committee, Kate Green had also written to ask the leader of the House in the next Parliament to bring forward the suspension again. 

A statement issued by Vaz soon after the report reads, “Mr. Vaz vigorously rejects the allegation that he has failed to cooperate with the inquiry: to the contrary, he holds the standards system in the highest regard and with the highest respect," 

Abbott says, “I think he himself should agree not to be a candidate. It has been a very sad issue, not just for him but for his family and his children," 

(With PTI inputs)

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