{"id":58393,"date":"2016-09-05T06:40:06","date_gmt":"2016-09-05T13:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=58393"},"modified":"2016-09-05T06:40:32","modified_gmt":"2016-09-05T13:40:32","slug":"male-prostitutes-drug-allegations-force-out-labour-mp-keith-vaz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2016\/09\/05\/male-prostitutes-drug-allegations-force-out-labour-mp-keith-vaz\/","title":{"rendered":"Male prostitutes &#038; drug allegations force out Labour MP Keith Vaz"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"article__date\"><time class=\"date date_article-header\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>Courtesy RT<\/em><\/span><\/time><\/h2>\n<p class=\"article__date\"><time class=\"date date_article-header\">Published time: 5 Sep, 2016 11:12<\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"article__short-url\">\n<div class=\"short-url\"><a class=\"short-url__link\" href=\"http:\/\/on.rt.com\/7oge\">Get short URL<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__cover\">\n<div class=\"media \"><\/div>\n<div class=\"media__footer media__footer_bottom \">\n<div class=\"media__title media__title_arcticle\">The constituency office of Labour Party MP and chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee Keith Vaz in Leicester, Britain, September 4, 2016. \u00a9\u00a0Darren Staples \/ Reuters<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__summary summary \">Labour MP Keith Vaz will relinquish his post as chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee following accusations he paid for the services of three male escorts and offered to buy them cocaine.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__summary summary \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"media__item \" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.com\/files\/2016.09\/original\/57cd2b60c46188561d8b4668.jpg\" alt=\"The constituency office of Labour Party MP and chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee Keith Vaz in Leicester, Britain, September 4, 2016. \u00a9\u00a0Darren Staples\" width=\"553\" height=\"307\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"article__text text \">\n<p>His role on the committee had given him enormous influence over vice and drugs policy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"arcticle__read-more read-more\">\n<div class=\"read-more__title\">Read more<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"read-more__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/uk\/349133-sex-work-legalization-prostitution\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"read-more__cover\" src=\"https:\/\/img.rt.com\/files\/2016.07\/thumbnail\/577638e6c46188d84f8b4576.jpg\" alt=\"\u00a9 Eric Gaillard\" \/><span class=\"read-more__footer\">Legalize sex work now, say British MPs<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Vaz, 59, said he would not be making a formal announcement regarding his resignation until he meets the committee on Tuesday, but appeared to confirm he will stand aside when he issued a statement saying he did not want to be a <em>distraction.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The married father of two was caught meeting two Eastern European male prostitutes and boasting about having unprotected sex, according to a Sunday Mirror sting.<\/p>\n<p>He allegedly met the men at his North London flat on August 27, referred to himself as <em>Jim\u201d<\/em> and claimed to be a washing machine salesman.<\/p>\n<p>One text, reportedly sent by Vaz, asked the men to arrive at <em>11pm, nice and late,\u201d<\/em> also saying <em>I want a good time please\u201d<\/em> and telling the men they needed to <em>get the party started.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In other text messages, the Labour MP allegedly requested the sex-enhancing drug known as poppers, and also offered to buy the prostitutes cocaine, although saying he would not take any himself.<\/p>\n<p>He also allegedly joked about being a <em>pimp.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"arcticle__read-more read-more\">\n<div class=\"read-more__title\">Read more<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"read-more__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/uk\/266758-prostitution-ban-fear-poverty\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"read-more__cover\" src=\"https:\/\/img.rt.com\/files\/news\/41\/20\/60\/00\/sex-worker.n.jpg\" alt=\"Reuters \/ Eric Gaillard\" \/><span class=\"read-more__footer\">Prostitution ban won\u2019t hit England, \u2018too many politicians\u2019 visit sex workers<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Shortly before sexual activity, which is said to have lasted for 15 minutes, Vaz mentioned another recent encounter with another escort they knew, telling the men he had also sex with the prostitute.<\/p>\n<p>The allegations are particularly awkward for Vaz, as the Home Affairs Committee is currently considering a review of prostitution laws. It is focusing on whether <em>the balance in the burden of criminality should shift to those who pay for sex rather than those who sell it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In July, an interim report by the select committee said it was <em>not convinced\u201d<\/em> that buying sex should be outlawed and that soliciting by sex workers should be decriminalized.<\/p>\n<p><em>We are not yet convinced that the sex buyer law would be effective in reducing demand or improving the lives of sex workers, either in terms of the living conditions for those who continue to work in prostitution or the effectiveness of services to help them find new ways to earn a living,\u201d <\/em>the report said.<\/p>\n<p><em>Evaluations of the impact of sex buyer laws are largely based on data about street prostitution, and therefore offer little insight into the large parts of the sex industry which take place in various indoor environments, and there are indications that the law can be misused to harass and victimise sex workers, who are the very people whom the law is seeking to protect.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"rtcode\">\n<div class=\"SandboxRoot env-bp-350\" data-twitter-event-id=\"0\">\n<div id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"EmbeddedTweet EmbeddedTweet--mediaForward media-forward js-clickToOpenTarget js-tweetIdInfo\" lang=\"en\" data-click-to-open-target=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WikiGuido\/status\/772726540165582848\" data-iframe-title=\"Twitter Tweet\" data-dt-full=\"%{hours12}:%{minutes} %{amPm} - %{day} %{month} %{year}\" data-dt-months=\"Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec\" data-dt-am=\"AM\" data-dt-pm=\"PM\" data-dt-now=\"now\" data-dt-s=\"s\" data-dt-m=\"m\" data-dt-h=\"h\" data-dt-second=\"second\" data-dt-seconds=\"seconds\" data-dt-minute=\"minute\" data-dt-minutes=\"minutes\" data-dt-hour=\"hour\" data-dt-hours=\"hours\" data-dt-abbr=\"%{number}%{symbol}\" data-dt-short=\"%{day} %{month}\" data-dt-long=\"%{day} %{month} %{year}\" data-scribe=\"page:tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"772726540165582848\" data-twitter-event-id=\"3\">\n<article class=\"MediaCard MediaCard--mediaForward customisable-border\" dir=\"ltr\" data-scribe=\"component:card\">\n<div class=\"MediaCard-media\">\n<p><a class=\"MediaCard-borderOverlay\" tabindex=\"-1\" title=\"View image on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WikiGuido\/status\/772726540165582848\/photo\/1\"><span class=\"u-hiddenVisually\">View image on Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"MediaCard-widthConstraint js-cspForcedStyle\" data-style=\"max-width: 626px\">\n<div class=\"MediaCard-mediaContainer js-cspForcedStyle\" data-style=\"padding-bottom: 109.5847%\"><a class=\"MediaCard-mediaAsset NaturalImage \" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WikiGuido\/status\/772726540165582848\/photo\/1\" data-scribe=\"element:photo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"NaturalImage-image\" title=\"View image on Twitter\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/CrlGUfaW8AAKMwK.jpg:small\" alt=\"View image on Twitter\" width=\"626\" height=\"686\" data-srcset=\"https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FCrlGUfaW8AAKMwK.jpg%3Alarge 626w,https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FCrlGUfaW8AAKMwK.jpg 626w,https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FCrlGUfaW8AAKMwK.jpg%3Asmall 621w\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"EmbeddedTweet-tweet\">\n<blockquote class=\"Tweet h-entry js-tweetIdInfo subject expanded is-deciderHtmlWhitespace\" cite=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WikiGuido\/status\/772726540165582848\" data-tweet-id=\"772726540165582848\" data-scribe=\"section:subject\">\n<div class=\"Tweet-header u-cf\">\n<div class=\"Tweet-brand u-floatRight\">\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--twitter \" title=\"\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"u-hiddenInNarrowEnv\"><a class=\"FollowButton follow-button profile\" title=\"Follow Alex Wickham on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WikiGuido\" data-scribe=\"component:followbutton\">Follow<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"TweetAuthor\" data-scribe=\"component:author\">\n<p><a class=\"TweetAuthor-link Identity u-linkBlend\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WikiGuido\" data-scribe=\"element:user_link\"><span class=\"TweetAuthor-avatar Identity-avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/748642885252292613\/ruVDpNRF_normal.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-scribe=\"element:avatar\" data-src-2x=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/748642885252292613\/ruVDpNRF_bigger.jpg\" data-src-1x=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/748642885252292613\/ruVDpNRF_normal.jpg\" \/><\/span><span class=\"TweetAuthor-name Identity-name customisable-highlight\" title=\"Alex Wickham\" data-scribe=\"element:name\">Alex Wickham<\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--verified \" title=\"Verified Account\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"TweetAuthor-link Identity u-linkBlend\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WikiGuido\" data-scribe=\"element:user_link\"><span class=\"TweetAuthor-verifiedBadge\" data-scribe=\"element:verified_badge\"><b class=\"u-hiddenVisually\">\u2714<\/b><\/span><span class=\"TweetAuthor-screenName Identity-screenName\" dir=\"ltr\" title=\"@WikiGuido\" data-scribe=\"element:screen_name\">@WikiGuido<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Tweet-body e-entry-content\" data-scribe=\"component:tweet\">\n<p class=\"Tweet-text e-entry-title\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Keith Vaz&#8217;s Home Affairs prostitution report, published in June, opposed criminalising men who pay for sex<\/p>\n<div class=\"Tweet-metadata dateline\"><a class=\"u-linkBlend u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WikiGuido\/status\/772726540165582848\" data-datetime=\"2016-09-05T09:22:18+0000\" data-scribe=\"element:full_timestamp\"><time class=\"dt-updated\" title=\"Time posted: 05 Sep 2016, 09:22:18 (UTC)\" datetime=\"2016-09-05T09:22:18+0000\">10:22 AM &#8211; 5 Sep 2016<\/time><\/a><\/div>\n<ul class=\"Tweet-actions\" data-scribe=\"component:actions\">\n<li class=\"Tweet-action\">\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--reply TweetAction-icon\" title=\"Reply\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"Tweet-action\">\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--retweet TweetAction-icon\" title=\"Retweet\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"TweetAction TweetAction--retweet web-intent\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/retweet?tweet_id=772726540165582848\" data-scribe=\"element:retweet\"><span class=\"TweetAction-stat\" data-scribe=\"element:retweet_count\">6<\/span><span class=\"u-hiddenVisually\">6 Retweets<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"Tweet-action\">\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--heart TweetAction-icon\" title=\"Like\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"TweetAction TweetAction--heart web-intent\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/like?tweet_id=772726540165582848\" data-scribe=\"element:heart\"><span class=\"TweetAction-stat\" data-scribe=\"element:heart_count\">6<\/span><span class=\"u-hiddenVisually\">6 likes<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"resize-sensor\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>According to the Sunday Mirror, Vaz asked one of the male escorts to bring poppers, a drug used during sex by gay men that the government came close to banning earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>Vaz argued in Parliament that poppers should not be included in a list of substances banned by the Psychoactive Substances Act.<\/p>\n<p>The Sunday Mirror says two payments of \u00a3150 (US$200) each were paid into a bank account before the encounter after one of the escorts supplied the account details to Vaz.<\/p>\n<p>The newspaper claims the money deposited into the bank account was paid by a man linked to Silver Star, a diabetes charity set up by Vaz.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said it was aware of the allegations.<\/p>\n<p>Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said he would be urging the Charity Commission to investigate, and is calling for a full police investigation and parliamentary standards inquiry.<\/p>\n<p>Bridgen says what had been exposed was <em>the tip of the iceberg.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"rtcode\">\n<div class=\"SandboxRoot env-bp-350\" data-twitter-event-id=\"1\">\n<div id=\"twitter-widget-1\" class=\"EmbeddedTweet js-clickToOpenTarget\" lang=\"en\" data-click-to-open-target=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Maguire\/status\/772730087871488000\" data-iframe-title=\"Twitter Tweet\" data-dt-full=\"%{hours12}:%{minutes} %{amPm} - %{day} %{month} %{year}\" data-dt-months=\"Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec\" data-dt-am=\"AM\" data-dt-pm=\"PM\" data-dt-now=\"now\" data-dt-s=\"s\" data-dt-m=\"m\" data-dt-h=\"h\" data-dt-second=\"second\" data-dt-seconds=\"seconds\" data-dt-minute=\"minute\" data-dt-minutes=\"minutes\" data-dt-hour=\"hour\" data-dt-hours=\"hours\" data-dt-abbr=\"%{number}%{symbol}\" data-dt-short=\"%{day} %{month}\" data-dt-long=\"%{day} %{month} %{year}\" data-scribe=\"page:tweet\" data-twitter-event-id=\"4\">\n<div class=\"EmbeddedTweet-tweet\">\n<blockquote class=\"Tweet h-entry js-tweetIdInfo subject expanded is-deciderHtmlWhitespace\" cite=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Maguire\/status\/772730087871488000\" data-tweet-id=\"772730087871488000\" data-scribe=\"section:subject\">\n<div class=\"Tweet-header u-cf\">\n<div class=\"Tweet-brand u-floatRight\">\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--twitter \" title=\"\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"u-hiddenInNarrowEnv\"><a class=\"FollowButton follow-button profile\" title=\"Follow Kevin Maguire on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Maguire\" data-scribe=\"component:followbutton\">Follow<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"TweetAuthor\" data-scribe=\"component:author\">\n<p><a class=\"TweetAuthor-link Identity u-linkBlend\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Maguire\" data-scribe=\"element:user_link\"><span class=\"TweetAuthor-avatar Identity-avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/1041876814\/CF--6_normal.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-scribe=\"element:avatar\" data-src-2x=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/1041876814\/CF--6_bigger.jpeg\" data-src-1x=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/1041876814\/CF--6_normal.jpeg\" \/><\/span><span class=\"TweetAuthor-name Identity-name customisable-highlight\" title=\"Kevin Maguire\" data-scribe=\"element:name\">Kevin Maguire<\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--verified \" title=\"Verified Account\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"TweetAuthor-link Identity u-linkBlend\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Maguire\" data-scribe=\"element:user_link\"><span class=\"TweetAuthor-verifiedBadge\" data-scribe=\"element:verified_badge\"><b class=\"u-hiddenVisually\">\u2714<\/b><\/span><span class=\"TweetAuthor-screenName Identity-screenName\" dir=\"ltr\" title=\"@Kevin_Maguire\" data-scribe=\"element:screen_name\">@Kevin_Maguire<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Tweet-body e-entry-content\" data-scribe=\"component:tweet\">\n<p class=\"Tweet-text e-entry-title\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Keith Vaz threatened via his lawyer to sue Tory MP Andrew Bridgen personally for allegedly spreading &#8220;scuttlebutt&#8221; about him<\/p>\n<div class=\"Tweet-metadata dateline\"><a class=\"u-linkBlend u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Maguire\/status\/772730087871488000\" data-datetime=\"2016-09-05T09:36:24+0000\" data-scribe=\"element:full_timestamp\"><time class=\"dt-updated\" title=\"Time posted: 05 Sep 2016, 09:36:24 (UTC)\" datetime=\"2016-09-05T09:36:24+0000\">10:36 AM &#8211; 5 Sep 2016<\/time><\/a><\/div>\n<ul class=\"Tweet-actions\" data-scribe=\"component:actions\">\n<li class=\"Tweet-action\">\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--reply TweetAction-icon\" title=\"Reply\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"Tweet-action\">\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--retweet TweetAction-icon\" title=\"Retweet\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"TweetAction TweetAction--retweet web-intent\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/retweet?tweet_id=772730087871488000\" data-scribe=\"element:retweet\"><span class=\"TweetAction-stat\" data-scribe=\"element:retweet_count\">41<\/span><span class=\"u-hiddenVisually\">41 Retweets<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"Tweet-action\">\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--heart TweetAction-icon\" title=\"Like\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"TweetAction TweetAction--heart web-intent\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/like?tweet_id=772730087871488000\" data-scribe=\"element:heart\"><span class=\"TweetAction-stat\" data-scribe=\"element:heart_count\">23<\/span><span class=\"u-hiddenVisually\">23 likes<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"resize-sensor\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"SandboxRoot env-bp-350\" data-twitter-event-id=\"2\">\n<div id=\"twitter-widget-2\" class=\"EmbeddedTweet js-clickToOpenTarget\" lang=\"en\" data-click-to-open-target=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/godfreydavey\/status\/772746571519815681\" data-iframe-title=\"Twitter Tweet\" data-dt-full=\"%{hours12}:%{minutes} %{amPm} - %{day} %{month} %{year}\" data-dt-months=\"Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec\" data-dt-am=\"AM\" data-dt-pm=\"PM\" data-dt-now=\"now\" data-dt-s=\"s\" data-dt-m=\"m\" data-dt-h=\"h\" data-dt-second=\"second\" data-dt-seconds=\"seconds\" data-dt-minute=\"minute\" data-dt-minutes=\"minutes\" data-dt-hour=\"hour\" data-dt-hours=\"hours\" data-dt-abbr=\"%{number}%{symbol}\" data-dt-short=\"%{day} %{month}\" data-dt-long=\"%{day} %{month} %{year}\" data-scribe=\"page:tweet\" data-twitter-event-id=\"5\">\n<div class=\"EmbeddedTweet-ancestor\" data-scribe=\"section:conversation\">\n<blockquote class=\"Tweet Tweet--compact h-entry reply js-tweetIdInfo is-deciderHtmlWhitespace\" cite=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrHarryCole\/status\/772744811203952640\" data-tweet-id=\"772744811203952640\">\n<div class=\"Tweet-header u-cf\">\n<div class=\"Tweet-metadata u-floatRight\"><a class=\"u-linkBlend u-url permalink customisable-highlight\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrHarryCole\/status\/772744811203952640\" data-scribe=\"element:mini_timestamp\"><time class=\"dt-updated\" title=\"Time posted: 05 Sep 2016, 10:34:54 (UTC)\" datetime=\"2016-09-05T10:34:54+0000\">3<abbr title=\"hours\">h<\/abbr><\/time><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"TweetAuthor\" data-scribe=\"component:author\">\n<p><a class=\"TweetAuthor-link Identity u-linkBlend\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrHarryCole\" data-scribe=\"element:user_link\"><span class=\"TweetAuthor-avatar Identity-avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/534348173343338496\/w5qkcWIs_normal.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-scribe=\"element:avatar\" data-src-2x=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/534348173343338496\/w5qkcWIs_bigger.jpeg\" data-src-1x=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/534348173343338496\/w5qkcWIs_normal.jpeg\" \/><\/span><span class=\"TweetAuthor-name Identity-name customisable-highlight\" title=\"Harry Cole\" data-scribe=\"element:name\">Harry Cole<\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--verified \" title=\"Verified Account\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"TweetAuthor-link Identity u-linkBlend\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrHarryCole\" data-scribe=\"element:user_link\"><span class=\"TweetAuthor-verifiedBadge\" data-scribe=\"element:verified_badge\"><b class=\"u-hiddenVisually\">\u2714<\/b><\/span><span class=\"TweetAuthor-screenName Identity-screenName\" dir=\"ltr\" title=\"@MrHarryCole\" data-scribe=\"element:screen_name\">@MrHarryCole<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Tweet-body e-entry-content\" data-scribe=\"component:tweet\">\n<p class=\"Tweet-text e-entry-title\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">No10 on Home Affairs Committee: &#8220;situation with Keith Vaz is one for him to deal with and it&#8217;s a decision for him to take&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"EmbeddedTweet-tweet\">\n<blockquote class=\"Tweet h-entry js-tweetIdInfo subject expanded is-deciderHtmlWhitespace\" cite=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/godfreydavey\/status\/772746571519815681\" data-tweet-id=\"772746571519815681\" data-scribe=\"section:subject\">\n<div class=\"Tweet-header u-cf\">\n<div class=\"Tweet-brand u-floatRight\">\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--twitter \" title=\"\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"u-hiddenInNarrowEnv\"><a class=\"FollowButton follow-button profile\" title=\"Follow godfrey davey on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/godfreydavey\" data-scribe=\"component:followbutton\">Follow<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"TweetAuthor\" data-scribe=\"component:author\"><a class=\"TweetAuthor-link Identity u-linkBlend\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/godfreydavey\" data-scribe=\"element:user_link\"><span class=\"TweetAuthor-avatar Identity-avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/606153170432237570\/x9LkPFPQ_normal.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-scribe=\"element:avatar\" data-src-2x=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/606153170432237570\/x9LkPFPQ_bigger.jpg\" data-src-1x=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/606153170432237570\/x9LkPFPQ_normal.jpg\" \/><\/span><span class=\"TweetAuthor-name Identity-name customisable-highlight\" title=\"godfrey davey\" data-scribe=\"element:name\">godfrey davey<\/span> <span class=\"TweetAuthor-screenName Identity-screenName\" dir=\"ltr\" title=\"@godfreydavey\" data-scribe=\"element:screen_name\">@godfreydavey<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Tweet-body e-entry-content\" data-scribe=\"component:tweet\">\n<p class=\"Tweet-text e-entry-title\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a class=\"PrettyLink profile customisable h-card\" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrHarryCole\" data-mentioned-user-id=\"15348883\" data-scribe=\"element:mention\"><span class=\"PrettyLink-prefix\">@<\/span><span class=\"PrettyLink-value\">MrHarryCole<\/span><\/a> All sticking together I see<\/p>\n<div class=\"Tweet-metadata dateline\"><a class=\"u-linkBlend u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/godfreydavey\/status\/772746571519815681\" data-datetime=\"2016-09-05T10:41:54+0000\" data-scribe=\"element:full_timestamp\"><time class=\"dt-updated\" title=\"Time posted: 05 Sep 2016, 10:41:54 (UTC)\" datetime=\"2016-09-05T10:41:54+0000\">11:41 AM &#8211; 5 Sep 2016<\/time><\/a><\/div>\n<ul class=\"Tweet-actions\" data-scribe=\"component:actions\">\n<li class=\"Tweet-action\">\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--reply TweetAction-icon\" title=\"Reply\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"Tweet-action\">\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--retweet TweetAction-icon\" title=\"Retweet\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"TweetAction TweetAction--retweet web-intent\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/retweet?tweet_id=772746571519815681\" data-scribe=\"element:retweet\"><span class=\"u-hiddenVisually\">Retweets<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"Tweet-action\">\n<div class=\"Icon Icon--heart TweetAction-icon\" title=\"Like\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"TweetAction TweetAction--heart web-intent\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/like?tweet_id=772746571519815681\" data-scribe=\"element:heart\"><span class=\"TweetAction-stat\" data-scribe=\"element:heart_count\">1<\/span><span class=\"u-hiddenVisually\">1 like<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"resize-sensor\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As the story first broke on Saturday night, Vaz, the Member for Leicester East, said:<em> I am genuinely sorry for the hurt and distress that has been caused by my actions, in particular to my wife and children.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"arcticle__read-more read-more\">\n<div class=\"read-more__title\">Read more<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"read-more__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/uk\/312841-drug-users-human-rights\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"read-more__cover\" src=\"https:\/\/img.rt.com\/files\/2015.08\/thumbnail\/55d4863cc46188855f8b45a3.jpg\" alt=\"\u00a9 Paulo Whitaker PW\" \/><span class=\"read-more__footer\">Drug use is a \u2018human right\u2019 \u2013 MPs<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>I will be informing the Committee on Tuesday of my intention to stand aside from chairing the sessions with immediate effect.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Vaz also appeared to go on the offensive by condemning the conduct of the Sunday Mirror.<\/p>\n<p><em>It is deeply disturbing that a national newspaper should have paid individuals to have acted in this way.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>He did not comment on the truth of the allegations, which were set out in the paper over five pages accompanied by pictures that appear to have been recorded covertly.<\/p>\n<p><em>I do not want there to be any distraction from the important work the Home Affairs Select Committee undertakes so well,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n<p><em>Select committees do vital work in holding the Government and others to account.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn appears to have dismissed the allegations, calling them a private matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Keith Vaz is going to meet the Home Affairs Select Committee and discuss what his role will be in the future. I\u2019m not sure what his decision will be,\u201d<\/em> he told the BBC.<\/p>\n<p><em>I will leave it to him to decide on that. He has not committed any crime that I know of.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Courtesy RT Published time: 5 Sep, 2016 11:12 Get short URL The constituency office of Labour Party MP and chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee Keith Vaz in Leicester, Britain, September 4, 2016. \u00a9\u00a0Darren Staples \/ Reuters Labour MP Keith Vaz will relinquish his post as chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee following [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58393\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}