Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan quits after sexual assault conviction

A Conservative MP found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy has announced he is resigning from the Commons.

Imran Ahmad Khan, who has represented Wakefield since 2019, said he was appealing against the conviction.

But he added it was "intolerable" for his constituents not to be represented properly while he goes to the courts.

The decision will trigger a by-election for his seat, which had previously been held by Labour for 87 years.

Earlier this week, Southwark Crown Court found Khan guilty of groping the teenager at a party in Staffordshire in January 2008.

The jury heard he had forced the youngster to drink gin, dragged him upstairs and asked him to watch pornography before assaulting him.

The verdict saw the Conservative Party expel him "with immediate effect".

Khan, who is 48 and has continued to deny the offence, is awaiting sentencing.

Posting on Twitter, he said it would not "ordinarily be appropriate to resign" while legal proceedings are continuing.

But he added: "Owing to long delays in the legal process, my constituents have already been without visible parliamentary representation for a year.

"Even in the best case scenario, anticipated legal proceedings could last many more months.

"I have therefore regrettably come to the conclusion that it is intolerable for constituents to go years without an MP who can amplify their voices in Parliament."