Last weekend, a long-standing Westminster rumor finally went public. A short article in the Daily Mirror reported that a senior Conservative M.P. has gained a reputation for the disturbing habit of plying those around him with date-rape drugs. A Labour M.P. claims to have fallen prey to this man, while a fellow Conservative politician has alleged that he awoke post-drugging to discover the unnamed accused licking his nipples.
It’s a shocking story, but one that quickly faded from the news cycle. This could have happened for any number of reasons. Perhaps the public was put off by the report’s lack of tangible details—aside from the nipples—or concrete sources, or maybe the M.P. in question used his power to squash attempts at a follow-up. However, the more likely reason is that, when the story dropped, everyone was still reeling from the news that a different Conservative M.P. had just been arrested on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of trust, and misconduct in public office.
