Disgraced Tory ex-minister Andrew Griffiths could be investigated under new watchdog

Disgraced Tory ex-minister Andrew Griffiths could be the first MP to be investigated by Parliament’s new harassment and bullying watchdog.

A new system for reporting MPs and Parliamentary staff will be unveiled tomorrow by Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom and voted on by MPs on Thursday.

Mr Griffiths. MP for Burton, was forced to stand down as a business minister and suspended from the Conservative Party after it emerged he sent more than 2000 explicit and violent messages to two female constituents.

In one message the 47-year-old referred to himself as “daddy” and discussed the women beating each other.

It emerged today that if the two women complain, his case could be the first dealt with by the proposed new reporting system under potential “inappropriate conduct”.

Independent investigators who could be hired by Parliament in the next few months if Mrs Leadsom’s plans are approved could then decide what rules may have been broken.

The introduction of a new reporting system follows the Westminster’s sleaze scandal which led to a number of male MPs being accused of inappropriate behaviour. Alleged victims said they had suffered in silence because there had been no HR system independent of political parties to report incidents.

Mr Griffiths, who previously worked as Theresa May’s chief-of-staff, apologised to his wife and three month old daughter Alice, in a statement released over the weekend and said he was seeking professional help.

One of the women involved, barmaid Imogen Treharne, said the MP had made her feel vile and “always turned the conversation back to sex”. .

Constituent Ed Stayner told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show this morning that the texts showed a “lack of moral compass”.

He said: “[We are] very disappointed and very shocked to be honest with you. Me and my wife had dealings with Andrew Griffiths - he helped us through a visa problem - we always thought him to be a good man, very helpful and good at what he does. To hear those messages and see what he’s been doing is extremely disappointing to say the least.”

Labour MP Jess Phillips said today that the content was “deeply worrying”.

She said: “I don’t think someone with that attitude should be a MP. How can a woman constituent ever feel safe seeking help from him.”

A female Conservative backbencher said: “Andrew’s career is obviously finished.”

Mr Griffiths referred himself to the Conservative Party’s Code of Conduct.