Police reportedly investigating claims Keith Vaz threatened council worker who tried to evict a rent boy pimp
Shamed Labour MP allegedly told housing chief he would make his life 'impossible' unless pimp was allowed to keep his home - despite not paying £1,400 rent
COPS are investigating Keith Vaz over claims he protected a rent boy pimp from eviction by threatening to make a housing chief’s life “impossible”.
The disgraced Labour MP intervened when gay brothel owner Nigel Philpot-Jones was booted out of his Leicester council flat 25 years ago for rent arrears.
He threatened to make a local housing chief’s life “impossible” unless he reversed the decision and yelled so aggressively at two secretaries they were left “visibly shaken”, it was claimed.
The decision to evict Philpot-Jones, who owed £1,396 in rent, was eventually scrapped – but a district auditor found it was only because the director of housing “felt threatened” by Vaz.
Last night, a family member of Philpot-Jones, who died in 2014, said he told them 15 years ago: “Vaz will get his come-uppance, mark my words.
Philpott-Jones warned relatives the politician had a different side which would “hit the headlines one day”.
The relative said he told them: “Vaz told me to get out of Leicester. One day I will bring him to touch and it will be major news. It will hit the headlines one day, mark my words. He will get his comeuppance.”
Ex-councillor Paul Gosling told The Sun he was quizzed by police in March about the MP’s behaviour in the early 1990s.
He said: “On many occasions Keith Vaz interfered with the running of the council in ways that breached his responsibilities as an MP.
“In particular I was unhappy about his involvement in reversing the decision to evict Nigel Philpot Jones, who had not paid his rent and was also operating a gay brothel in breach of the council’s clear rules on tenancy.
“Vaz was bullying and intimidating council staff and that was completely improper, not only in my view but also that of the district auditor.
“He was doing favours for people. I don’t want to draw inference as to why, but it was not a responsible or appropriate thing for an MP to be doing.
“Clearly some of the people he was doing favours for were in the wrong, and it’s baffling as to why he would step in on their behalf.”
Vaz had been brought into the eviction row by his friend Philip Taylor, son of a former mayor of Leicester and himself homosexual. Mr Taylor was also a friend of Philpot-Jones.
Last night, Mr Taylor told The Sun: “I asked Keith to help Nigel Philpott Jones. He was just a friend of mine, and I was friends with Keith.
“I helped Keith with his election campaign back in 1987 and we stayed in touch, but I haven’t spoken to him for over 20 years now.
“At the time I thought it was the right thing to do to try and help (Philpott Jones) but in hindsight I think he probably should have been evicted.
“I’m not sure Keith did anything illegal 25 years ago. I think he probably might have overstepped the mark, and was quite forceful, but that’s all.
“This has all been covered many times over the years by various people and no-one seems to think there was much worth investigating then.
“I’m not surprised at the allegations that emerged about Vaz last week.”
Police were also informed of allegations last year by another witness, a Leicester city councillor, that there had been repeated claims that Vaz had procured male prostitutes in Leicester.
Two other witnesses interviewed are a former senior council official and a former lord mayor of Leicester.
Vaz was investigated by Elizabeth Filkin, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, over allegations of misconduct in 2001 and 2002. He was suspended from parliament for one month in 2002 for breaches of the MPs’ code of conduct.
Leicestershire police refused to comment on whether Vaz was under investigation. The MP said he is not aware of any investigation.