There's more coverage about Andrew Pelling MP today...
- The Times: Tory's political career in ruins after 'assault' on pregnant wife
- Daily Mail: The Tory love rat accused of beating his pregnant wife
- Telegraph: It's over, says wife of MP in 'assault' claim
This is obviously a sensitive issue because Mr Pelling has not yet been found guilty of anything but CCHQ shouldn't wait for the normal police and legal processes to conclude. Mr Pelling's parliamentary majority is just 75 and a General Election could be imminent. There is a real danger that his alleged conduct will not only endanger his own Croydon Central seat but the fortunes of other London Conservatives, too. Tory failure to act against Neil Hamilton in 1997 produced endless bad publicity for the whole Conservative Party.
The Tory whips and, if necessary, the Conservative Party's Ethics and Integrity Committee, would be wise to act quickly. It may be that the police will choose not to act but there may still be grounds to believe that Mr Pelling's conduct falls short of the standards that should be expected of a Conservative MP. If such an investigation does take place and discovers that the case against Mr Pelling has been exaggerated by the media, it will also help to clear Mr Pelling's name more quickly than otherwise - at least in the minds of local Tory activists.
Comments on this thread will be very strictly moderated so don't waste your time posting speculatively.
