A Conservative MP embroiled in a scandal has announced he will stand down – triggering a by-election in his Somerton and Frome constituency.

David Warburton was suspended from the party in April 2022 pending the outcome of an Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) investigation into allegations of harassment and drug abuse.

Speaking to the Mail On Sunday, the 57-year-old said he will resign his seat this weekend because he was denied a fair hearing by a parliamentary harassment watchdog investigating allegations that he had made unwanted advances towards two women.

He admitted to the newspaper that he had taken cocaine after drinking “incredibly potent” Japanese whisky with a third woman.

The woman secretly photographed and recorded him after he visited her flat following a late-night vote in the House of Commons.