Disgraced former Tory Imran Ahmad Khan is expected to formally cease being an MP three weeks after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.
Despite announcing his intention to resign on 14 April — three days after being convicted at Southwark Crown Court — Khan only triggered the formal process this week, in a letter to the Treasury.
The 48-year-old is not expected to officially leave Parliament until Tuesday when the process is complete, meaning he will receive his full pay for the month. As of April 2022, the annual salary for an MP is £84,144.
The Wakefield MP told The Guardian he expected the process to conclude on Saturday, but it is understood it would not happen until the next working day, with Monday being a bank holiday.
He also suggested there were delays with his resignation due to HR issues with staff and the Easter bank holiday, but officials stressed than MP can resign at any moment.
“MPs can resign at a moment’s notice,” a parliamentary source told the newspaper. “Look at Owen Paterson. He was there one minute and gone the next. MPs choose the date.
“There’s a winding-up process for an MP’s office, to do with members of staff who suddenly find themselves without a job, and also to do with the transfer of secure material.
“But that is separate to when an MP actually stands down. By waiting until the end of the month it means he will have been paid in full for April”.
Khan was expelled from the Conservative Party following his conviction and announced he was stand down two weeks ago — paving the way for a crucial by-election the Wakefield constituency.
He said it was “intolerable” for his constituents to “go for months or years” without an MP “who can amplify their voice in Parliament”, as he intends to appeal the verdict that was handed down on 11 April.
The Wakefield seat turned blue first time since the 1930s at the 2019 general elections, as Boris Johnson emerged with the biggest Conservative majority for decades, but will be hotly contested in the coming months.
Once Khan’s resignation is made official, the date for the vote in Wakefield will be unveiled when the Conservative chief whip moves the “writ” — a motion to elect a new MP, and is typically held between 21 and 27 days afterwards.
The Independent has contacted Khan for comment.
