A British politician has been charged with two counts of sexual assault involving two women at the Groucho, a London member’s club owned by the founders of Hauser & Wirth gallery.
Patrick Spencer, a member of the opposition Conservative Party and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 16 June for the alleged incidents of sexual assault, which took place in August 2023, according to a statement released today by the Crown Prosecution Services.
A Conservative Party spokesman told theBBC that Spencer had been suspended. “We have taken immediate action,” they said. “Patrick Spencer MP has been suspended from the Conservative Party, and the whip withdrawn, with immediate effect. The Conservative Party cannot comment further on an ongoing legal case.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told The Art Newspaper that Spencer's charges are unrelated to accusations of a “serious criminal offence” at the Groucho that resulted in the club having its licence suspended in November, forcing it to temporarily close.
“As a separate investigation, officers are investigating reports of a rape, which allegedly occurred at Groucho Club on 13 November. A 34-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of rape in connection with this investigation remains released under investigation,” the spokesperson says. The club reopened in January.
Since 2022, The Groucho has been majority-owned by Artfarm, a hospitality company run by Iwan and Manuela Wirth, the husband and wife duo behind the mega gallery Hauser & Wirth. Artfarm businesses, including The Groucho, are not connected to Hauser & Wirth, a spokesperson for the gallery has previously stated to The Art Newspaper. The Groucho is managed separately to the Artfarm portfolio.
A spokesperson for Artfarm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
