Tory MP Bob Stewart charged with threatening behaviour in relation to ‘racially aggravated’ incident

Conservative MP Bob Stewart has been charged with public order offences referring to a “racially aggravated” incident in December final 12 months.

Police say the 73-year-old has been charged with utilizing threatening or abusive phrases or behaviour or disorderly behaviour and that the offence was racially aggravated.

He was additionally charged with utilizing threatening or abusive phrases or behaviour prone to trigger harassment, alarm or misery.

The alleged offences occurred exterior the Foreign Office’s Lancaster House places of work, at an occasion hosted by the embassy of Bahrain on 14 December.

The Metropolitan Police opened a case following a criticism from activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, who says he’s residing in exile after being tortured within the Gulf state of Bahrain.

It mentioned each expenses associated to the identical incident and that the “second offence is an alternative charge to allow the court discretion on the racial element”.

Mr Stewart, the MP for Beckenham, will seem at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 5 July.

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Sky News understands that regardless of the cost, he is not going to have the whip suspended right now.

A Tory supply mentioned: “Bob has been clear that he regrets the comments that he made and he will be fighting the charges against him during a court appearance shortly.”

Mr Stewart was elected to parliament in 2010 and serves on numerous parliamentary committees, together with the Northern Ireland affairs committee and the intelligence and safety committee.

Before changing into an MP Mr Stewart was an Army officer for 26 years and served in Northern Ireland and Bosnia.