UK MP convicted of sexual assault against teen quits to focus on clearing his name; triggers by-elections

A British conservative lawmaker who was recently convicted of sexually abusing a teenager back in 2008 has now resigned as a member of Parliament.

Imran Ahmad Khan’s resignation has triggered a by-election that could very well be a test of UK PM Boris Johnson’s popularity.

Khan, 48 who represents Northern England’s Wakefield area said he was quitting to "focus entirely on clearing my name".

A court on Monday found the politician guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year old boy. Following his conviction, Khan was thrown out of the conservative party and there were calls for his resignation from the parliament.

The MP has continuously denied the allegations and plans to appeal the conviction.

In a statement posted on Twitter, he said that his constituents have already been without any parliamentary representation for a year due to severe delays in the legal process.

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

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As per the unnamed victim, the encounter with Khan left him feeling "scared, vulnerable and numb."

By the complainant’s account Khan applied "slow caressing" to his legs; however, the MP, on the other hand, claims that he simply touched the teen's elbow after he became emotional during a discussion about his "confused sexuality."

Khan won the Wakefield seat in a landslide victory for the Conservatives in 2019, the by-election triggered by his retirement will be a litmus test for the party's chances of retaining the so-called "Red Wall" seats in former Labour strongholds.

This comes at a time when PM Johnson himself faces calls to resign due to the controversial ‘partygate’ scandal. He was on Tuesday fined by the authorities for attending a gathering for his birthday in June 2020. This was at a time when not the just UK but the whole global community was battling the Covid pandemic and facing innumerable lockdowns and other restrictions.

(With inputs from agencies)