Tory Aide Arrested On Suspicion Of Rape In Houses Of Parliament

A Conservative MP's chief of staff has been arrested on suspicion of raping a women in the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of Friday. The man is thought to be Sam Armstrong, 23, who works for South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay, the BBC reported. Armstrong was arrested on Friday after the alleged attack and has been bailed until mid-January 2017 as detectives investigate the incident, the Metropolitan Police said. The police made their way to Westminster after a call from the alleged victim. "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," said a Met spokesman. A statement from the Kent MP's office said: "Mr Mackinlay was made aware of an allegation against a staff member and granted permission for the police to access his Westminster office. "Mr Mackinlay is monitoring the situation and awaits further details from the police and Parliamentary Authorities." A spokesperson for the House of Commons said Parliament is "working closely" with police. “We are aware of an incident on the parliamentary estate, which is being investigated by the Metropolitan police service. They added: "Parliament is working closely with the police on their investigation and we cannot comment further while this is ongoing.”