By Emeka Blast 
Tory MP Patrick Spencer to Stand Trial for Sexual Assault
Patrick Spencer, the suspended Conservative MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, will face trial next year for two counts of sexual assault following alleged incidents at London’s exclusive Groucho Club in August 2023. The 37-year-old politician, who appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, July 14, 2025, pleaded not guilty to the charges, which involve two separate women.
Prosecutor Polly Dyer detailed that Spencer allegedly cupped the breasts of both women over their clothing without consent during an evening at the Soho private members’ club. The incidents, reported to the club and subsequently to the Metropolitan Police, led to Spencer’s interview by officers in March 2025. A complaint was made after the alleged assaults, which occurred before Spencer was elected as an MP in July 2024 with a majority of 4,290.
Spencer, appearing under his full name Michael Patrick Spencer, was dressed in a dark suit, blue tie, and black-rimmed glasses at the court hearing. His trial is set for July 13, 2026, with Judge Tony Baumgartner withholding his home address from public disclosure pending further consideration. Spencer remains on unconditional bail.
The Conservative Party suspended Spencer and withdrew the whip immediately after the charges were announced in May 2025, and he now sits as an independent MP. A party spokesperson emphasized, “The Conservative Party believes in integrity and high standards. We have taken immediate action.” Spencer’s lawyers have stated he “categorically denies the charges” and will “defend the allegations robustly in court,” highlighting his full cooperation with the police investigation.
Spencer, the son of billionaire Conservative peer Lord Michael Spencer, previously worked in finance at his father’s private equity firm IPGL and as a senior adviser at the Department for Education. In his maiden Commons speech in July 2024, he spoke of “restoring a sense of moral probity and public spiritedness” to politics, a statement that has drawn scrutiny amid these allegations.
The Groucho Club, a celebrity hotspot known for its creative clientele, was temporarily closed in November 2023 following unrelated allegations but has since reopened. The Crown Prosecution Service has urged the public to avoid commentary that could prejudice the ongoing legal proceedings.
