Did a Tory minister fail to help police in a Westminster sex assault case?

If an MP’s researcher is accused of sexual assault, what should the MP do? Co-operate fully with the police, of course, which is what Chris Skidmore claims he did when his assistant ended up in court. The Tory MP and minister for universities strenuously denies that he refused to provide the police with evidence. But questions still remain after what an officer said during the trial at Southwark Crown Court.

You might have heard about the case: 27-year-old Callum Warren, Skidmore’s former staffer, was cleared last week of molesting a teenager. The court heard descriptions of a legislature that runs on an endless supply of cheap lager and eager young graduates.

But the trial itself brought up interesting questions about how helpful the minister was. Skidmore was accused of failing to provide a police statement. This is an accusation that Skidmore denies. The Conservative party has said that the minister felt he shared everything he knew and that when he explained that to the police they accepted his response.