Tory MP Ben Howlett quizzed by cops over gay sex assault after boozy politician ‘put his hand down party goer’s pants’ and said ‘let me f*** you’ to couple in club
Howlett was interviewed by police following alleged attack said to have taken place after Eurovision results party in Bath
A TORY MP has been quizzed by detectives over an alleged sex assault on a gay couple.
Ben Howlett, member for Bath, Somerset, was interviewed following a complaint that he sexually touched the men while partying in a local club.
A source claimed gay Howlett, 30, carried out the attack while “very drunk”.
Howlett has been accused of putting his hands inside a gay man’s pants and trying to kiss him.
He also declared “let me f*** you” and grabbed another man’s crotch, it was claimed.
Howlett, 30, was quizzed by police following the alleged attack — said to have taken place after a Eurovision results party in Bath, where he is MP.
The bash for around 30 people was held in a private residence at one of the city’s poshest addresses.
Revellers downed bottles of wine and home-made punch before heading out to a club.
He pushed a man up against the wall and stuck his hands down his trousers
A source told The Sun: “Ben turned up with a couple of bottles of red and got quite drunk. At one point he was running around the house and in and out of the bathrooms, laughing and giggling.
“He was having a good time.”
Most of the group went on to the Sub 13 cocktail bar, where gay christian Howlett shared a bottle of champagne with a friend, the source said.
At around midnight they moved on to the Common Room club, where the alleged assault reportedly happened last May.
A source said: “Ben was very drunk by that point. He pushed a man up against the wall and stuck his hands down his trousers into his pants and tried to kiss him. He then grabbed his boyfriend’s crotch.
They were shocked at his behaviour and left the club.”
One of the men reported the claim to cops next day. It is understood the second has not yet formally complained.
Howlett, who sits on the Women and Equalities Select Committee, rents a £1,500-a-month home in Bath.
He voluntarily attended a police station and was interviewed under caution.
An Avon and Somerset police spokesman said: “A man in his thirties voluntarily attended a police station for interview following an allegation of sexual assault. Enquiries are ongoing.”
Howlett, elected last year, had told Tory chiefs of the allegations last night but did not return calls from The Sun.
Staff in his office said he was dealing with “a family bereavement”.
Earlier he had asked Theresa May a question at PMQs in the Commons.
Last year Howlett claimed complaints he made about “Tatler Tory” Mark Clarke — whose bullying was linked to the death of party activist Elliott Johnson — were swept under the carpet.
In December, Howlett was accused of failing to prevent a harassment campaign against a female activist.