At the weekend the Daily Mail ran a piece claiming friends of the still-anonymous Tory MP at the centre of a rape scandal are worried Labour or LibDem parliamentarians could use their legal immunity in the chamber to break the reporting restrictions and name the accused MP. The friends are right to be concerned, as Guido now learns this is the exact route being pushed by the accuser and her friends. ‘Sympathetic’ Peers are currently being lobbied by calls from the accuser’s mates to say they “have her blessing” to name the MP. She argues, “I know there are other victims out there in Westminster, and he has no right to privacy as he’s admitted that he can no longer carry out his public role as an MP due to the bail conditions”…

The accuser also claims that, contrary to reports the MP has ‘volunteered’ to stay away from Westminster throughout September, the police have informed her the MP had no choice in the matter as his bail conditions prevent him from leaving his home for SW1. The question on Westminster’s mind will be which Lord – if any – is willing to risk using parliamentary privilege. In the past Speakers have discouraged the use of privilege for matters which are sub judice…