Keith Vaz returns to work a day after male escort scandal claims

Keith Vaz has returned to work in the House of Commons little more than a day after becoming embroiled in a scandal linked to male escorts.

Labour MP Keith Vaz speaks in the House of Commons, London. Picture: PA

The Labour MP arrived in the chamber around 15 minutes into Home Office question time and took his usual seat on the backbench before asking a question to Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

Mr Vaz is facing a possible investigation by Commons sleaze watchdogs as the fallout from reports that he paid two male escorts for their services threatens to overwhelm his career.

The high-profile Leicester East Labour MP indicated that he will stand aside as chairman of the powerful Commons Home Affairs Committee at a meeting today after publicly apologising to his wife and children for the “hurt and distress” he caused them.

Mr Vaz welcomed the new Home Secretary to her role and asked about the terror suspects who have fled Britain to join IS (Islamic State), also known as Daesh, while on police bail.

Speaking in a calm voice with no hint of the scandal that has embroiled him, he referred to the case of Siddhartha Dhar, who was alleged to have appeared in a propaganda video released by IS after fleeing Britain in 2014 despite having been arrested six times.

Mr Vaz said: “Could I warmly welcome the Home Secretary to her post, and I hope she has a long and successful turn as Home Secretary.

“As she knows, earlier this year Siddhartha Dhar left the country having not handed over his passport to local police officers and he went to fight for Daesh.

“She has, or her predecessor, the Prime Minister, changed the Police and Crime Bill to make the situation tougher for those who seek to go abroad.

“Will she follow the advice of Mark Rowley, the head of counter terrorism, and expect suspects to hand over their passports as a precondition for bail?”

Ms Rudd thanked Mr Vaz for “raising this very important matter” and added: “It was a very distressing case where he was able to go away, on bail, and go away to do such damage and join Daesh out in Syria.

“So he’s absolutely right, this is something that the former home secretary addressed and we are looking at the best way to implement it and may well be following the particular route he has said, but rest assured that we do take it very seriously.”

Meanwhile yesterday Andrew Bridgen received a letter from law firm Howard Kennedy accusing him of “maliciously spreading false and highly defamatory scuttlebutt” about Mr Vaz.