Evans will not chair Commons while inquiries go on

DEPUTY Speaker of the House of Commons Nigel Evans will not resume his duties while investigations continue into allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Mr Evans, who was arrested on 4 May, had said he would only be away from his duties for a few days during the Queen’s Speech debates, which are due to conclude tomorrow.

But a Commons spokesman said yesterday: “The Speaker [John Bercow] and Mr Evans, first deputy chairman of ways and means, met on Tuesday, 7 May and agreed that while Mr Evans will remain Deputy Speaker, he will not resume chairing duties while police investigations are ongoing.

“The chairman of ways and means [Lindsay Hoyle] and second deputy chairman [Dawn Primarolo] also support this approach.”

Speaking to reporters in Westminster last Tuesday, Mr Evans said he was having “just a few days off chair duty” 
but would continue having his regular meetings with Mr 
Bercow.

He said he had been “overwhelmed” by the reaction from MPs as well as the amount of “sympathy” he had received from the public.

Mr Evans denies the claims made against him.