Crispin Blunt has apologised and retracted a controversial statement after he faced a ferocious backlash for questioning the jury conviction of his fellow MP Imran Ahmad Khan.

       Khan, the MP for Wakefield, was found guilty on Monday of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008. He was thrown out of the Conservative Party following the verdict. His legal team said he plans to appeal.

       Mr Blunt said in a statement issued last night that he believed Khan was the victim of a “dreadful miscarriage of justice”.

       The senior Conservative MP immediately faced calls to withdraw the comments and he deleted the statement on his website early this morning.

       Mr Blunt then tweeted an apology and a retraction at 9.16am. He said: "On reflection I have decided to retract my statement defending Imran Ahmad Khan.

       "I am sorry that my defence of him has been a cause of significant upset and concern not least to victims of sexual offences."

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       James Heappey, the minister for the armed forces, has given his backing to Rishi Sunak as the row over the Chancellor's finances rumbles on.

       Asked if he is supportive of Mr Sunak, Mr Heappey told Sky News: "Yes, I am. I think that he has been clear about what the arrangements are. He has recognised that even after his reassurances people still wanted some further reassurance so he has referred himself to Lord Geidt.

       “But I think Rishi is pretty straight forward, pretty straight talking and he has been pretty clear on what the circumstances are.”

       Members of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Global LGBT+ Rights had last night said they were quitting the body as Crispin Blunt, its chairman, faced a backlash over his comments about the conviction of Imran Ahmad Khan.

       A number of MPs in the group urged Mr Blunt to resign from his position. He has now said he has offered his resignation as chairman.

       He said: "It is a particularly difficult time for LGBT+ rights across the world and my statement risks distracting the APPG for Global LGBT+ Rights from its important purpose.

       "I have today offered the officers my resignation so a new chair can be found to continue the work of the group with full force."

       Joe Biden, the US President, has made clear the use of chemical weapons by Russia in Ukraine would cross a red line and the West would respond.

       James Heappey, the minister for the armed forces, told Sky News that if the use of the weapons is confirmed then "all possible options are on the table" for the response.

       He told Sky News: "These are appalling weapons to think about using. The fact that they are part of the discussion is deeply sobering.

       "It is not just the President of the United States, the President of France and our own Prime Minister have also been clear that there are weapons that simply should not be used. If they are used people will be held to account.

       "I think it is useful to maintain some ambiguity over exactly what the response would be but let's be clear, if they are used at all then President Putin should know that all possible options are on the table in terms of how the West might respond."

       Britain is currently working with its international partners to verify the details of reports that Russian forces may have used chemical agents in an attack on Mariupol.

       James Heappey, the minister for the armed forces, said the UK had not yet been able to confirm the reports.

       He told Sky News: "We know that there are reports of the use of chemical weapons. We have not been able to verify those ourselves and indeed the Ukrainian system as you have seen from President Zelensky are only referring to the fact that there are reports.

       "They themselves haven’t yet been able to confirm to us that they have been used.”

       Imran Ahmad Khan’s legal team has said he will be appealing against his conviction. He has not yet been sentenced.

       If Khan, the MP for Wakefield, chooses not to resign, a by-election could be forced using Parliament’s recall petition process.

       MPs can be recalled if they are convicted “in the UK of any offence and sentenced or ordered to be imprisoned or detained, after all appeals have been exhausted”, according to a House of Commons library briefing paper.

       A sentence of more than 12 months in jail automatically disqualifies someone from being an MP. If the conditions for a recall petition are met, the Commons Speaker then notifies the relevant constituency’s returning officer.

       The petition would then be launched and would remain open for people to sign for six weeks. If 10 per cent or more of the constituency’s eligible registered voters sign the petition then it is deemed a success and the seat is declared vacant. A by-election is then required.

       James Heappey, the minister for the armed forces, was asked if he believes Imran Ahmad Khan should resign as an MP following his conviction yesterday.

       Mr Heappey told Sky News there are "mechanisms" to force a by-election if Khan chooses not to quit.

       He said: "The way that Parliament works is that you are elected as an individual so his seat in the House of Commons is his until he personally chooses to vacate it.

       “There are mechanisms now through recall petitions that have been in place since I think 2015 from memory so if he chooses not to there are now mechanisms through which he can be removed from his seat and subjected to a by-election.

       "I understand he has plans to appeal but quite frankly everybody in Government respects that a court of law has found him guilty and that must be the judgement until he appeals successfully.”

       Crispin Blunt has now deleted the statement on his website in which he defended Imran Ahmad Khan.

       The statement, published yesterday, had started: “I am utterly appalled and distraught at the dreadful miscarriage of justice that has befallen my friend and colleague Imran Ahmad Khan, MP for Wakefield since December 2019. His conviction today is nothing short of an international scandal, with dreadful wider implications for millions of LGBT+ muslims around the world.”

       While the original statement has been deleted, Mr Blunt is yet to issue a follow up statement or comment publicly to retract his comments or apologise.

       Crispin Blunt is under mounting pressure to withdraw the claims he made about the conviction of Imran Ahmad Khan.

       A Tory source said: “Crispin’s views are wholly unacceptable.

       “Following exchanges late last night we expect the statement to be retracted first thing this morning.”

       Crispin Blunt last night sparked a furious backlash after he claimed the conviction of Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan for sexually assaulting a teenage boy was "nothing short of an international scandal". (You can read the original story here).

       James Heappey, the minister for the armed forces, was asked this morning during an interview on Sky News if the Government distances itself from the comments and he replied: "Yes."

       Asked if he expected Mr Blunt to retract the comments, Mr Heappey said: "I don’t know because I have no idea what it is that Crispin is referring to in the comments that he has said.

       “All I know is that in a court of law yesterday Mr Khan was found guilty and I think everyone of us who believes in the judicial system and the rule of law has to respect that judgement.

       “I think it is for Crispin to account for his words but it is not something the Government associates itself with.”

       Good morning and welcome to today's politics live blog.

       James Heappey, the minister for the armed forces, is on the broadcast round for the Government.

       I'll take you through the key lines.

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