Tory MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has been asked to leave the Conservative conference after a “totally unacceptable” incident involving a clash with security staff, a party spokesman said.
The Cotswolds MP was said to be involved in what a doorman described as a “small misunderstanding” at the International Lounge in the conference centre in Manchester.
A source inside the room described it to HuffPost UK as “a bit of a ‘don’t you know who I am’ kind of thing.”
It led to a lockdown of areas of the conference, including the press room, at the Manchester Central Convention Complex for around 20 minutes.
Clifton-Brown did not deny the reports, and told PA Media: “I’ve got nothing further to say about it. I don’t want to comment on it, really.”
A staff member guarding the door of the lounge said the incident was sparked by a disagreement. “It was a small misunderstanding,” the man said.
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: “At around 1.45pm on Tuesday 1 October 2019, an attendee to the Conservative Party Conference attempted to enter the International Lounge area of the conference without the relevant pass.
“Security staff intervened and resolved the situation without any breach of security occurring.”