Friends rally round deputy Speaker Nigel Evans
By politics.co.uk staff
Nigel Evans is being firmly defended by friends and colleagues in parliament, as news emerges he will not carry out his normal ceremonial duties in the Queen's Speech.
The Deputy Speaker denies two allegations of rape and sexual assault after being arrested and questioned at the weekend. He has not been charged.
Evans, 55, a member of Politics.co.uk's editorial board, summed up the mood in Westminster in a statement yesterday when he said friends had greeted the claims with a "sense of incredulity".
Former Conservative party chief whip Andrew Mitchell voiced his support for the Ribble Valley MP this morning, insisting that he should not lose his job as a result of the allegations.
"Nigel Evans has been a friend and colleague of mine for more than 20 years. I simply do not believe these allegations that have been made about him," Mitchell told the Today programme.
"If he were to resign now we would be in a terrible position where potentially every public office holder would be open to blackmail and false stories in the media triggering their resignation.
"We do still live in a country where you are supposed to be innocent until you are proven guilty."
Mitchell resigned after 28 days of intensive media pressure following the Sun's story that he had verbally abused police officers manning the gate at the entrance to Downing Street.
"The pressures are very intense," he added.
"Anyone who is caught up in the sort of intensive media storm that Nigel have faced and that I and my family have faced are obviously in a very difficult position to carry out their job.
"But in this particular circumstance I have no doubt that Nigel Evans should not resign."
His comments were echoed by David Davis, the former Conservative party chairman, who said Evans should not "resign or stand down".
"If we allow the habit to develop that senior people in public life have to stand down on the basis of allegations, it is scope for all sorts of pressures, or even blackmail," he said.
"That would be unhealthy. I find it impossible to believe the allegations."
Speaker John Bercow, who has already expressed his own shock at Evans' arrest, could suggest Evans keeps his job but does not actively participate in the Commons' proceedings for the time being.
The Queen's Speech and Whitsun recess means parliament has a relatively light schedule until June 3rd. Dawn Primarolo and Lindsay Hoyle, the two other deputy Speakers, would be able to cover most of Evans' duties.
Evans was originally elected to parliament in 1992 and served in the shadow Cabinet before becoming deputy Speaker in 2010. He revealed he was gay in the same year.
Evans has been bailed until June 19th.
