His resignation sparked explosive midterm elections in West Yorkshire, one of the traditional Labor strongholds in the so-called Red Wall, which fell to Boris Johnson’s Tories in the 2019 general election. The competition will be a crucial test of Sir Keir Starmer’s ability to win the Red Wall again and the extent to which the prime minister’s appeal has been marred by his police fine for a 10 Downing Street lockdown breach party. Khan, 48, was expelled from the Conservative Party after being found guilty in Southwark Crown Court Monday of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy more than a decade before entering politics. He said he was appealing the verdict and that “usually it would not be appropriate to resign” while legal proceedings were ongoing. However, in a statement today, he said it was “unacceptable” for his voters to stay for months or years until the legal process is completed “without a Member of Parliament who can strengthen their voice in parliament”. He said the move would allow him to “focus entirely on clearing my name”. Khan said he was “shocked” to be described as a “sexual predator, untouchable and worse” during the three days of his sentence. Describing the crime for which he was found guilty of “touching a foot over clothes with sexual intent”, Khan – who is Muslim and gay – said he wanted to apologize to his family and community “for the humiliation he inflicted on them.” caused “. . He added: “Questions about sexuality in my community are not trivial and learning from the press about my orientation, drinking and behavior in the past before becoming an MP has not been easy.” With a majority of 3,358 Tories in the 2019 election, Wakefield is one of the Red Wall constituencies that Starmer must win again to take control of Downing Street, ranking 38th on the Labor list. elections expected in 2024. The reversal of Khan’s victory requires a swing of 3.73 per cent – about a third of the recovery the Labor Party would have to achieve across the country to win an overall majority in the House of Commons. Working since 1932, it was held until the last election by Mary Creagh, a member of Ed Miliband’s shadow cabinet from 2010-15. A Labor spokesman said: “The people of Wakefield have been badly disappointed by the Conservatives. “Only Labor has a plan to tackle the cost of living crisis and give the people of Wakefield the security, prosperity and respect they deserve.” Jurors found Khan guilty of forcing a teenage boy to drink gin and tonic, dragging him up, pushing him to a bed and asking him to watch pornography before touching his foot near the genitals in a house in Staffordshire in January. 2008. The victim complained to police days after the 2019 election. The court heard Khan insist that his actions had no sexual intent and that he was trying to be “polite and helpful” with the boy, who appeared to want to discuss sexuality. . Judge Justice Baker said he would later convict the disgraced MP, telling him: “All sentencing options, including immediate detention, are being considered by the court.” A prison sentence of more than one year would lead to an automatic expulsion from parliament, while a shorter sentence would expose him to a request for revocation.
