Conservative MP Bob Stewart has been charged with public order offences relating to a “racially aggravated” incident in December last year.

Police say the 73-year-old has been charged with using threatening or abusive words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour and that the offence was racially aggravated.

He was also charged with using threatening or abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

The alleged offences took place outside the Foreign Office’s Lancaster House offices, at an event hosted by the embassy of Bahrain on 14 December.

The Metropolitan Police opened a case following a complaint from activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, who says he is living in exile after being tortured in the Gulf state of Bahrain.

It said both charges related to the same incident and that the “second offence is an alternative charge to allow the court discretion on the racial element”.

Mr Stewart, the MP for Beckenham, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 5 July.

Read more:
Politics latest – Braverman says she ‘will not rest until we stop the boats’

Sky News understands that despite the charge, he will not have the whip suspended at this time.

A Tory source said: “Bob has been clear that he regrets the comments that he made and he will be fighting the charges against him during a court appearance shortly.”

Mr Stewart was elected to parliament in 2010 and serves on a number of parliamentary committees, including the Northern Ireland affairs committee and the intelligence and security committee.

Before becoming an MP Mr Stewart was an Army officer for 26 years and served in Northern Ireland and Bosnia.