Christian John Patrick Matheson is a former Labour Party politician. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of the City of Chester after winning the seat in the 2015 general election.
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On 27 June 2016, Matheson resigned from his role as Justice Parliamentary Private Secretary, joining many members of Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow team who resigned following the result of the EU referendum result.
He went on to nominate Owen Smith for the leadership in the 2016 Labour Party (UK) leadership election. He rejoined the shadow cabinet team following the result and joined the shadow cabinet housing team as Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Healey.
At the 2017 election, Matheson increased his majority from 93 to 9,176, turning Chester from a super-marginal seat into a safe seat. In the 2019 election, Matheson held onto his seat for a second successive election, by a majority of 6,164.
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Christian Matheson Resignation: Why Did Christian Matheson Resign?
Two allegations of sexual misconduct against Mr Matheson by a former member of his staff have been upheld.
The MP for Chester allegedly invited her on a private trip abroad, which was found to be “sexually motivated”.
He admitted he had committed a minor breach of the code and tendered his resignation with “great sadness”.
The Independent Expert Panel parliamentary watchdog had recommended the Labour MP was suspended from the Commons for four weeks.
A spokesperson for Labour said there must be a “zero tolerance for sexual harassment”, adding the party acted immediately following the report findings.
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