London: A 48-year-old British Conservative party MP has been arrested on charges of alleged rape by the Scotland Yard.
Mark Pritchard, MP for the Wrekin in Shropshire, was arrested on Tuesday and questioned by Metropolitan police officers after he voluntarily attended a police station. He was then released on bail.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: "We can confirm that the man voluntarily attended a north London police station on Tuesday, December 2 where he was arrested, following an allegation of rape in central London."
"He has been bailed to a date in early January 2015 pending further enquiries," the statement said.
Pritchard had been a Tory MP from the Wrekin since 2005.
The news came to light after the Parliamentary "Hansard" record had a reference to a letter from the Metropolitan Police to Speaker John Bercow, "relating to the arrest of Mark Pritchard, Member for The Wrekin".
