What did Crispin Blunt say? What was Imran Ahmad Khan convicted of and what happens next for the Wakefield MP

Khan denied assaulting the teenager at a house party in Staffordshire in January 2008 but was convicted yesterday (11 April) after his trial.

After he was found guilty the Conservative Party released a statement saying that Khan had been "expelled with immediate effect" from the party.

However, Tory MP Crispin Blunt appeared to defend Khan on his website, calling the verdict a "dreadful miscarriage of justice", with many other members of the Conservative Party stating that Blunt did not represent the Conservative's view.

But what happens to Imran Ahmad Khan now he has been convicted?

Below is everything you need to know about what was said by Crispin Blunt, and what Khan's conviction means for his MP status.

What did Imran Ahmad Khan do?

Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan has been expelled from the Conservative Party after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.

Southwark Crown Court heard that he forced the teenager to drink gin, took him upstairs and asked him to watch pornography before groping the boy.

Khan had gone to the boy's bed and "reached in and touched his legs, reaching for, or actually touching, his groin".

The court was told that police were called at the time but the victim did not want to pursue the case.

What will happen to Imran Ahmad Khan?

After he was charged with sexual assault he was dropped by the Conservatives but remained in Parliament as an independent.

Now he has been found guilty, whether or not he can stay as MP will depend on how long he is sentenced for.

If he gets a prison term of more than a year he is automatically disbarred from being an MP and there will be a by-election to replace him.

If he is given less than a year he will be allowed to continue as an MP during any appeals he decides to make.

If the appeals are unsuccessful he would then face a recall petition.

Imran Ahmad Khan could also decide to resign from his position.

What did MP Crispin Blunt say?

Mr Blunt called the verdict a "dreadful miscarriage of justice", stating that the jury’s decision in Khan’s case was “nothing short of an international scandal”.

Five members of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for global LGBT+ rights, which Mr Blunt chairs, have either resigned or said they will in response.

Armed Forces Minister James Heappey appeared on BBC Breakfast earlier today and said that Mr Blunt was "definitely not speaking for the government".

Mr Blunt's statement was deleted from his website earlier this morning (12 April), and he apologised for his comments on Twitter this morning, handing in his resignation.

Who is Crispin Blunt?

Crispin Blunt is a Conservative Party politician, and has served as Member of Parliament for Reigate since 1997.

From May 2010 to September 2012 he was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prisons and Youth Justice within the Ministry of Justice.