Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan has announced his intention to quit as an MP, following a jury finding him guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy this Monday. Statement in full below. Exciting by-election up ahead…

I don’t know how to express the shock of the past three days. I have been characterised as a sexual predator, outcast, and worse. 

A jury found me guilty of touching a leg above clothing with sexual intent.

I am appealing the verdict handed down on Monday, 11 March. While legal proceedings are ongoing, I do not believe that it would ordinarily be appropriate to resign.

However, 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. 

Representing them has been the honour of my life, and they deserve
better than this. 

Consequently I am resigning as MP for Wakefield and withdrawing from
political life. 

I shall shortly write to the Parliamentary authorities to confirm this.

I am now able to focus entirely on clearing my name. As I intend for this to be my only statement, I would like to apologise to my family and
community for the humiliation this has caused them.

Questions surrounding sexuality in my community are not trivial, and learning from the press about my orientation, drinking, and past behaviour before I became an MP has not been easy.

Imran Ahmad Khan