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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Politics
Pa Reporters

Ex-Tory MP David Warburton dies aged 59

David Warburton resigned as an MP in 2023 (David Woolfall/UK Parliament/PA) - (PA Media)

A former MP who resigned after facing allegations of sexual misconduct and cocaine use has died aged 59.

David Warburton represented the Somerton and Frome constituency in Somerset from 2015 until June 2023.

Scotland Yard said police were called to an address in Sands End, west London, on August 26 where a man in his 50s was found dead at the scene.

Officers are treating the death as “unexpected but not suspicious”, the force said.

The former MP had admitted cocaine use but denied claims of sexual misconduct against him and hit out at a parliamentary probe into the allegations, which had taken 14 months at the time of his resignation.

He said he had been denied a fair hearing and left with “no choice” but to provoke “the upheaval of a by-election”, which was won by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Dyke.

The seat was abolished as part of boundary changes that came into effect at last summer’s general election.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said on Monday: “Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 10.47hrs on Tuesday, 26 August to an address at Chelsea Crescent, Sands End.

“A man in his 50s was found dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.

“His death is being treated as unexpected but not suspicious.”

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called on Tuesday August 26 at 10.14am to reports of an incident in Chelsea Crescent, Chelsea Harbour, SW10.

“We sent (an) ambulance crew and a clinician on a bicycle.

“Sadly, a man was pronounced dead at the scene.”

Former Labour MP Simon Danczuk, who later joined Reform UK, posted on X: “Sad to see that David Warburton, former Conservative MP, has died.

“Cleared by parliament of any wrongdoing, but like most of us wasn’t flawless, he’d just had enough and resigned. With him a few times recently, he was doing really well. God bless him.”

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