A Conservative MP has been charged with two sexual assaults that allegedly took place in Soho’s famous Groucho Club.
Patrick Spencer, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, is accused of attacking two different women at the venue in August 2023.
He attended a voluntary interview at a London police station in March, the Met said in a statement, and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, June 16.
His lawyers say Spencer “categorically denies” the two charges of sexual assault against him and “will defend the allegations robustly in court”.
They added: "He has co-operated fully with the police investigation from the moment he became aware of it and he will defend the allegations robustly in court."
He has been suspended from the Conservative Party in light of the charges against him.
A Tory spokesman said: “The Conservative Party believes in integrity and high standards. We have taken immediate action.
“Patrick Spencer MP has been suspended from the Conservative Party, and the whip withdrawn, with immediate effect.
“The Conservative Party cannot comment further on an ongoing legal case.”
It is understood that Spencer was told not to visit the Parliamentary estate while the police were investigating.
Under changes approved by the Commons last year, MPs face being barred from attending Parliament if they are arrested for serious sexual or violent offences.
The 37-year-old became an MP at the last general election, winning the seat previously held by Dan Poulter who defected from the Tories to Labour in April 2024.
He was therefore not an MP when the attacks were alleged to have taken place.
Prior to entering Parliament, he worked in finance for private equity firm IPGL, a company chaired by his father, former Conservative Party treasurer Lord Michael Spencer.
He later took a job at the Centre for Social Justice think thank and then becoming a senior adviser at the Department for Education.
The Groucho Club, a popular celebrity haunt, had it licence reviewed late last year following a separate allegation of rape in the venue.
It was temporarily closed and had its licence suspended after a woman reported being raped there in November.
A 34-year-old man was arrested in Hertfordshire over the alleged incident inside the Dean Street premises and was later released on bail.
It reopened in January, but with strict new conditions.
Westminster councillors decided at a meeting in December to impose a raft of new restrictions on the club in consultation with police.
Under stricter new rules, members are only allowed to bring up to four guests and must supervise them at all times, with a requirement for guests’ details to be logged.
The club was required to enhance monitoring of the club’s toilets, including with CCTV, and to ban and eject any members or guests found sharing toilet cubicles.
The meeting heard how police brought the review after uncovering breaches of the club’s premises licence.
The Groucho is one of London’s most well-known private members’ clubs and has long been associated with A-list celebrities.
It has previously counted Noel Gallagher, Rachel Weisz and Stephen Fry among its members.
The venue was originally set up in 1985 as a more relaxed alternative to traditional gentlemen’s clubs, and current members “should have a creative role within the creative industries and share the club’s maverick spirit”, according to its website.
