A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of raping a woman at the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of Friday.
The man, who was bailed until mid-January, is not an MP, the Metropolitan Police say. Reports claim he works for a Conservative MP.
A spokesman for the Met Police said: "Detectives from the sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command are investigating an allegation of rape at the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of Friday 14 October.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"A 23-year-old man was arrested that same day on suspicion of rape. He has been bailed pending further enquiries to a date in mid-January 2017."
The alleged attack is said to have taken place inside the MP's office, which was reportedly searched by six officers and sealed as a crime scene.
A House of Commons spokesperson said: "We are aware of an incident on the parliamentary estate which is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service.
"Parliament is working closely with the police on their investigation and we cannot comment further while this is ongoing."
According to the Daily Telegraph, this is thought to be the first time a woman has made a complaint of rape taking place in Parliament.
A spokesperson for the MP for whom the alleged attacker worked said he was "awaiting further information from the police before commenting further".
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
Met Police clean-up: more than 1,000 officers suspended or on restricted duties'Eye-watering' figures show scale of challenge to restore public trust
-
PSNI breach: is the UK taking data security seriously enough?
Today's Big Question Accidental release of personal details of 10,000 Northern Irish police employees could have lethal consequences
-
Pros and cons of stop and search
Pros and Cons The home secretary has called for police to increase the use of controversial tactic
-
How the Raoul Moat manhunt unfolded
Under the Radar Hundreds of police officers were involved in the search for the killer in July 2010
-
Are the police mishandling the Nicola Bulley investigation?
Under the Radar Lancashire officers have been accused of ‘bungling’ their strategy and having a ‘cack-handed’ approach
-
Nicola Bulley: are armchair detectives and TikTok sleuths a help or hindrance?
Talking Point Police chiefs were forced to issue a dispersal order after amateur internet detectives searched the local area
-
How did Met Police officer David Carrick get away with it for so long?
Today's Big Question Failure to stop one of Britain’s most prolific rapists linked to ‘toxic culture of misogyny’ at force
-
Chinese secret police stations around the globe
feature Report claims Chinese citizens in exile are monitored and coerced by their own authorities
