Tory MP Patrick Spencer denies sexual assault charges
Conservative MP Patrick Spencer has denied two counts of sexual assault, alleged to have been committed at Soho’s exclusive Groucho Club.
The MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday where he confirmed his date of birth and full name before submitting a not guilty plea to the charges.
Spencer, who was suspended by the Conservative Party shortly after being charged by police, is accused of groping the breasts of two women over their clothes at the London members club in August 2023.
His lawyers have previously said the politician “categorically denies the charges”, and vowed to defend them “robustly in court”.
“He has co-operated fully with the police investigation from the moment he became aware of it,” they added.
Patrick Spencer is now due to appear in Southwark Crown Court on 14 July.
The MP, son of Tory peer Lord Spencer, was first elected to Parliament last year – a year after the incidents are alleged to have occurred – having previously worked in private equity for IPGL, a company chaired by his father.
He also held various roles at Westminster think tanks and government departments, including as head of work and welfare at the Centre for Social Justice and an adviser to the Department for Education.
The Groucho Club opened in the mid-1980s, quickly earning a reputation as a popular haunt for A-list celebrities, artists and media executives. It was named after the American comedian Groucho Marx, who once said he would refuse to join any club that would accept him as a member.
The alleged incident involving Patrick Spencer and two different women was said to have taken place at the club’s bar on one evening in August 2023.