Keith Vaz threatens to sue fellow MP for ‘maliciously spreading false and highly defamatory scuttlebutt’ about him after male prostitute allegations
Longtime critic of the Labour MP Andrew Bridgen revealed his lawyers had sent him a menacing letter
EMBATTLED Keith Vaz last night threatened to sue a fellow MP for “maliciously spreading false and highly defamatory scuttlebutt about him.”
Longtime Vaz critic Andrew Bridgen revealed that his lawyers had sent him a menacing letter yesterday after he slammed the disgraced 57-year-old in the wake of male prostitute allegations.
The Tory was warned he was on “formal notice that if this shabby behaviour continues our client will no longer turn a blind eye to this and take steps to sue you personally.”
Howard Kennedy solicitors claimed that “Mr Vaz has for some time now chosen to ignore your increasingly desperate attempts to besmirch him.”
But added: “However, the time has come where our client will no longer tolerate your spreading of intentional untruths.”
Undaunted by the threats from Vaz’s lawyers, yesterday Mr Bridgen wrote three letters of complaint and demanded an unprecedented triple probe into the Labour grandee.
In a letter to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Mr Bridgen said the scandal indicated “a clear conflict of interest given his role as Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee.”
Calling for a probe, he wrote: “Clearly it is essential for transparency and public faith in Parliament for Mr Vaz to have no undisclosed conflicts of interest in the performance of his duties.”
This morning Mr Vaz will face colleagues on the powerful committee as he fights for his political future in the face of numerous calls to resign from the position he has held since 2007.
In a further letter to the Metropolitan Police, Mr Bridgen sought an investigation into whether Vaz had taken part in a “conspiracy to supply a controlled substance”.
He also questioned whether “Mr Vaz has breached ‘misconduct in a public office’ laws with what has been reported.”
And in a final letter to the Charities Commission, Mr Bridgen said Vaz may have “used charitable funds to pay escorts for sex” and demanded this be investigated urgently.