An MP has been found guilty of harassment and is expected to face demands to stand down from her seat.

Claudia Webbe, the independent MP for Leicester East, was accused of carrying out a campaign of harassment through unwanted telephone calls against Michelle Merritt, a female friend of her partner. She allegedly called Merritt a slag, threatened an acid attack and said she would distribute naked pictures of Merritt to her family.

Webbe, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, was elected as Labour MP for Leicester East but had the whip withdrawn after being charged. She was elected for the first time in 2019 with a majority of 6,019. She denied harassment between 1 September 2018 and 26 April 2020.

More details soon …