Imran Ahmad Khan has said he has already resigned as a Wakefield MP and will no longer be an MP this Saturday, two and a half weeks after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.
Ahmad Khan told the Guardian that he had resigned on Monday and that it would take effect on April 30th. This means that his salary for April will be paid in full.
The Conservative Party will then choose a date for the midterm elections, which are likely to take place in late June, following the anniversary holidays and local elections.
The Treasury Department has received his resignation letter, the Guardian said.
Ahmad Khan, who was elected Wakefield’s first Conservative MP in 1932 in 2019, announced his intention to retire in a tweet on April 14, four days after he was convicted in Southwark court.
He left after the Guardian confronted him with new allegations about a 16-year-old boy’s proposal to have oral sex and go to a hotel with a prostitute to take cocaine and have sex.
Ahmad Khan insists he informed the parliamentary authorities immediately, but there were delays due to the Easter holidays and then while he was dealing with human resources issues with his staff.
“There is no legal procedure to resign from the chamber without receiving the appointment of the crown,” he said, referring to a secret parliamentary procedure dating back to 1624, which ruled that deputies could not leave their seats directly. Instead, they must apply to the Ministry of Finance to be appointed Crown Governor and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundres or Crown Governor and Bailiff of the Norsted Estate, both unpaid positions until their deputy is elected.
The Ministry of Finance usually issues a statement on the day the resignation takes effect.
Ahmad Khan said he had postponed his resignation until Saturday because the Independent Parliamentary Standards Body (Ipsa), which regulates and administers the salaries and pensions of lawmakers and their staff, told him to do so.
“Ipsa and HR have said that there are five days from the moment you give [your resignation] to clean the office and so on, for logistical and practical reasons, and also for staff reasons, ”he said.
However, a source from the parliament said: “Deputies can resign at any time. See Owen Patterson. He was there one minute and went the next. Deputies choose the date. There is a process of liquidation of the MP’s office, related to staff members who suddenly find themselves without work, as well as the transfer of protected materials. But this is separate from when the MP actually resigns. Waiting until the end of the month means that it will be paid in full in April. “
When announcing his intention to resign, Ahmad Khan said he would appeal his sentence and “focus entirely on clearing my name.”
The royal prosecutor’s office said it had not yet been notified of Khan’s appeal. He has 28 days from the date of his conviction, April 11, to apply for permission to appeal. His sentence is due on May 23.
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