Crispin Blunt, who served as Conservative MP for Reigate in Surrey for almost 30 years, was arrested in October 2023 and subsequently suspended from the Tories
No further action will be taken against a former Conservative MP after he was placed under investigation on suspicion of rape.
Crispin Blunt, who represented Reigate in Surrey for 27 years, was suspended from the party after his arrest in October 2023. He was also detained on suspicion of possession of controlled substances.
But “no further action” will be taken against the 64-year-old politician, who also served as a justice minister between 2010 and 2012, after Surrey Police said yesterday there was “insufficient evidence to proceed”.
The dad of two was arrested in Horley, Surrey, and, at the time, Mr Blunt said he would “co-operate fully” with the investigation and was “confident” he would not be charged. He sat as an Independent MP in Reigate after he was suspended by the Tories until the dissolution of Parliament in May last year. Mr Blunt did not stand for re-election at the subsequent general election.
Surrey Police yesterday told the BBC a man in his 60s and another in his 50s will remain under investigation on suspicion of possession of controlled substances pending further inquiries.
In a statement seen by The Guardian, Surrey police said: “An investigation was launched following a report of rape in October 2023. Extensive inquiries have been carried out and a man in his 60s and a man in his 50s were arrested on 25 October 2023 in Horley in connection with the offence.
“It has since been determined that there is insufficient evidence to proceed and that no further action will be taken against either of the men in relation to the report of rape. However, both men will remain under investigation on suspicion of possession of controlled substances pending further inquiries.” Mr Blunt, uncle of the actor Emily, had been released on conditional bail, which ended in April 2024.
The politician was elected as Conservative MP for Reigate in the 1997 general election, defeating the incumbent Sir George Gardiner, who had switched from the Tories to the Referendum Party. He served as a justice minister from 2010 to 2012, in the whips’ office when the Conservatives were in opposition.
During Mr Blunt’s 27-year spell as Reigate’s MP, seven different prime ministers had been in power in the UK, including Tony Blair, David Cameron and Boris Johnson. In 2022, during Mr Johnson’s term, Mr Blunt apologised for “significant upset and concern” caused by his defence of disgraced MP Imran Ahmad Khan, following his conviction for sexually assaulting a teenage boy.