Patrick Spencer: Suspended Tory MP denies sexually assaulting two women at private members' club
An MP has denied two counts of sexual assault allegedly carried out at a private members' club in central London.
Patrick Spencer, who represents Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, is accused of cupping the breasts of two women over their clothes at the Groucho Club in August 2023.
The 37-year-old confirmed his full name and date of birth before pleading not guilty to the offences at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Politics Hub:
He is due to appear at Southwark Crown Court on 14 July.
Spencer was suspended from the Conservative Party and had the whip withdrawn after the charges were brought.
Read more from Sky News:
The politician was first elected to parliament last year with a majority of 4,290.
Lawyers acting for the MP have previously said he "categorically denies the charges" and would defend against the allegations "robustly in court".
The Groucho Club, on Dean Street, opened in 1985 and became a renowned meeting place for A-list celebrities and others, including actors, comedians and media executives.
The club was named after the comedian and actor Groucho Marx, who reportedly once said he would refuse to join any club that would have him as a member.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Starmer and Trump to hold ‘one-on-one' talks at G7 in push to wrap up trade deal
Sir Keir Starmer has said he will meet Donald Trump for 'one-on-one' talks at a major global summit in a push to get the US-UK trade deal over the finish line. The Prime Minister said he expected the economic pact to be completed 'very soon' ahead of a meeting with the US President at the G7 conference in Canada. Britain's long-coveted free trade deal with Washington was agreed upon last month but is yet to be implemented, with both sides yet to take the necessary steps to reduce tariffs. Asked whether he would be able to finalise the deal as he crosses paths with Mr Trump at the international leaders' summit in Kananaskis, Sir Keir said: 'I'm very pleased that we made that trade deal, and we're in the final stages now of implementation, and I expect that to be completed very soon.' Amid speculation that the two leaders will carve out time for a bilateral meeting between G7 plenary sessions, Sir Keir said: 'I'll be having a one-on-one with him. 'I think I'm seeing him on a number of occasions today because we're in all of the sessions together, so I'll be having a lot of conversations with President Trump.' He added: 'We will be talking about our trade deal… because that really matters for the vital sectors that are safeguarded under our deal, and we've got to implement that.' The Prime Minister is walking a diplomatic tightrope as he seeks to strengthen ties with Canada, the G7 host nation, while keeping the US president, who has repeatedly threatened to annex the country, on side. On Sunday, Downing Street confirmed efforts to revive stalled trade negotiations between London and Ottawa after a bilateral meeting between Sir Keir and Mark Carney. In warm words at the top of the talks, the UK leader challenged Mr Trump's call for Canada to become a '51st state', speaking of the importance of Britain's relationship with the country as 'independent, democratic sovereign countries'. In recent months, the UK has held a series of engagements aimed at securing a reduction in the tariffs Mr Trump imposed on Britain and the rest of the world on April 2. Along with 10% tariffs on all British goods, the president imposed 25% levies on cars and steel. He later increased the tariff on steel to 50%, but gave the UK a reprieve, keeping its rate at 25% until at least July 9. Under the broad terms of last month's agreement, the US will implement quotas that will effectively eliminate the tariff on British steel and reduce the tariff on UK vehicles to 10%. The White House has also voiced concerns about plans to build a Chinese embassy near London's financial centres, with reports suggesting the issue has been raised in trade talks. The redevelopment proposals for the former site of the Royal Mint were called in last year, and ministers will now have the final say on whether the project goes ahead. On his way to the G7, Sir Keir was asked by reporters whether he was confident the matter would not undermine efforts to complete the trade deal, and whether US objections would be taken into consideration in the Government's decision-making. He said: 'We will act in our own national interest at all times on any issue including in relation to the embassy. 'We will carefully balance what is in our national interest in any decision that we take.' Sir Keir faces a busy week of diplomacy as leaders from the world's major economies descend on a luxury mountain lodge in the Rockies amid spiralling conflict in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. As well as heads of government from Canada, the US, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and Britain, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to attend the conference. The Prime Minister told reporters he had a 'good relationship' with the US president, which is 'important' at a time of heightened global instability. 'I've been saying, for probably the best part of six months now, we're in a new era of defence and security, a new era for trade and the economy,' he said. 'And I think it's really important for Britain to play a leading part in that, and that's what I'll be doing at the G7, talking to all of our partners in a constructive way. 'And I'm very pleased that I have developed good relations with all the G7 leaders.' He also warned that G7 allies would discuss imposing further sanctions on Russia if Vladimir Putin continues to resist calls for an unconditional ceasefire. 'My long-standing view is, we need to get Russia to the table for an unconditional ceasefire,' he said. 'We do need to be clear about we need to get to the table and that if that doesn't happen, sanctions will undoubtedly be part of the discussion at the G7.'
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Anti-domestic violence groups are suing over the Trump administration's grant requirements
Seventeen statewide anti-domestic and sexual violence coalitions are suing President Donald Trump's administration over requirements in grant applications that they don't promote 'gender ideology' or run diversity, equity and inclusion programs or prioritize people in the country illegally. The groups say the requirements, which Trump ushered in with executive orders, put them in 'an impossible position.' If they don't apply for federal money allocated under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, they might not be able to provide rape crisis centers, battered women's shelters and other programs to support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. But if the groups do apply, they said in the lawsuit, they would have to make statements they called 'antithetical to their core values' — and take on legal risk. In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island on Monday, the coalitions said that agreeing to the terms of grants could open them to federal investigations and enforcement actions as well as lawsuits from private parties. The groups suing include some from Democratic-controlled states, such as the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, and in GOP-dominated ones, including the Idaho Coalition against Sexual and Domestic Violence. The groups say the requirements are at odds with federal laws that require them not to discriminate on the basis of gender identity, to aid underserved racial and ethnic groups, and to emphasize immigrants with some programs and not to discriminate based on legal status. The U.S. Department of Justice, which is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, did not respond to a request for comment. The suit is one of more than 200 filed since January to challenge President Donald Trump's executive orders. There were similar claims in a suit over anti-DEI requirements in grants for groups that serve LGBTQ+ communities. A judge last week blocked the administration from enforcing those orders in context of those programs, for now.
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
UK 'shied away' from ethnicity of grooming gangs in child sex abuse inquiries, report finds
LONDON (AP) — The UK government said Monday it will make it mandatory for the police to record the ethnicity and nationality of suspects accused of child sexual abuse and exploitation. The move is part of an attempt to address long-running accusations that authorities have 'shied away' from properly tackling the issue of race when investigating such cases. It comes came after the government announced Saturday that it will hold a national inquiry into organized child sexual abuse, something it has long been pressured to do by opposition politicians. In a statement to Parliament, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said a recent review of data from three police forces found 'clear evidence of over-representation among suspects of Asian and Pakistani heritage men' who prey on often young and vulnerable girls and women. But the review found that ethnicity data was not recorded for two-thirds of perpetrators in what the British press have dubbed 'grooming gang' crimes. 'The appalling lack of data on ethnicity in crime recording alone is a major failing over the last decade or more,' said the review, overseen by Louise Casey, an expert on victim's rights and social welfare. 'Questions about ethnicity have been asked but dodged for years.' 'Child sexual exploitation is horrendous whoever commits it, but there have been enough convictions across the country of groups of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds to have warranted closer examination,' it added. The review referred to examples of organizations that avoided the topic of race altogether 'for fear of appearing racist or raising community tensions.' It said: 'The question of the ethnicity of perpetrators has been a key question for this audit, having been raised in inquiries and reports going back many years. We found that the ethnicity of perpetrators is shied away from and is still not recorded for two-thirds of perpetrators, so we are unable to provide any accurate assessment from the nationally collected data.' Cooper noted that while Casey's review also identified cases in which perpetrators were white, British, European, or other ethnicities, there wasn't enough information to help prevent patterns of crime from being understood and tackled. Britain's justice system has seen multiple cases of underage girls — some as young as 10, and others who were vulnerable because they were in social care or had disabilities — sexually exploited by groups of men in different towns and cities in the 2000s and 2010s. In some of the most high-profile cases to come to trial, the perpetrators were men of Pakistani heritage and the victims were predominantly white girls. The issue has been taken up by right-of-center politicians including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to link child sexual abuse to immigration. It was more recently stoked by Elon Musk, who took to his X platform earlier this year to condemn Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the issue. Cooper said Monday that as a further step to tackle the issue, laws will be changed so that any adult man who engages in penetrative sex with a child under 16 will face a mandatory rape charge. Officials also said detectives will follow up on more than 800 cold cases involving child sex abuse by grooming gangs. A seven-year inquiry was held under the previous Conservative government, but many of the 20 recommendations it made in 2022 — including compensation for abuse victims — have yet to be implemented.
