Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz to join UK Parliament’s justice committee

Britain's longest-serving Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz, embroiled in a sex scandal involving male prostitutes, is to join the UK Parliament's committee that oversees the workings of the country’s courts, it emerged on Tuesday.

Labour party MP Vaz, who was forced to step down as chair of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee last month amid the sex scandal, is to join the cross-party Justice Committee, after two of its Labour members took on shadow cabinet roles.

Bob Neill, the chair of the Justice committee, told the 'Telegraph': "My duty is to work with whoever the House appoints." 

An official announcement of the unpaid role is yet to be made, but it can be blocked only if the House of Commons chair of appointments takes an unusual step of blocking the 59-year-old MP s membership or if an MP objects in Parliament.

While an investigation by the UK s Parliamentary Standards Committee into any breach of parliamentary code of conduct is still pending, the 59-year-old s membership of the Justice Committee was reportedly approved by Labour MPs after two members of the Justice Committee stepped down to join party leader Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet.

Conservative MP and one of the most vocal opponents of Vaz, Andrew Bridgen, said: "Keith Vaz's guile knows no bounds.

Joining the Justice Committee is particularly interesting when Scotland Yard has still not ruled out investigating him on conspiracy to supply a controlled substance." 

Vaz himself is yet to comment on his impending new role.