MPs guilty of sexual harassment or bullying face losing their seats under new code of conduct

MPs guilty of sexual harassment or bullying face losing their seats under a new code of conduct to be published this week.

A cross-party group chaired by Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom will unveil proposals including new powers to suspend parliamentarians from the Commons if they breach the code.

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It will feature a “behaviour code” to protect all staff - both in parliament and back in constituencies.

Under the plans, independent investigators will carry out probes, with a fully independent grievance procedure.

A dedicated phone line to report complaints and a named contact to speak to in person is also proposed.

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The final decision on cases will rest with the parliamentary commissioner for standards.

Under the 2015 Recall of MPs Act a “recall” petition can be triggered if an MP is sentenced to a prison term or is suspended from the House of Commons for at least 21 days - which could result in the loss of their seat.

Probes into allegations made against several Tory and Labour MPs are still ongoing.