Conservative MP Ross Thomson has announced he will not stand in the general election, amid an allegation he groped a Labour MP in a Westminster bar last year.

Mr Thomson, who denies the claim, said he would “continue to fight to clear my name”, but would not stand as a candidate for Aberdeen South at December’s general election.

Paul Sweeney told the Scottish Mail on Sunday the Tory MP had grabbed at him in the Strangers’ bar in the House of Commons in October 2018, and then tried to put his hands down the front of his trousers.

“I felt paralysed. It was just such a shocking thing. I was in a cold sweat, it was mortifying,” the Labour MP for Glasgow North East said.

He added: “In the back of my mind, I was thinking that if I just punched the guy, who knows where that could end up when there’s a bar full of journalists. I couldn’t fight, so I took flight.”

Top 10 marginal seats to watch at the general election Show all 10 1 /10 Top 10 marginal seats to watch at the general election Top 10 marginal seats to watch at the general election North East Fife Currently held by the SNP with a majority of 2 Getty Top 10 marginal seats to watch at the general election Kensington Currently held by Labour with a majority of 20 Getty Top 10 marginal seats to watch at the general election Perth and North Perthshire Currently held by the SNP with a majority of 21 Getty Top 10 marginal seats to watch at the general election Dudley North Currently held by independent, formerly Labour, MP Ian Austin with a majority of 22 LivingInMediocrity Top 10 marginal seats to watch at the general election Newcastle-under-Lyme Currently held by Labour with a majority of 30 Derek Harper Top 10 marginal seats to watch at the general election Southampton Itchen Currently held by the Conservatives with a majority of 31 Rob Candish Top 10 marginal seats to watch at the general election Richmond Park Currently held by the Conservatives with a majority of 45 Robin Webster Top 10 marginal seats to watch at the general election Crewe and Nantwich Currently held by Labour with a majority of 48 Jaggery Top 10 marginal seats to watch at the general election Glasgow South West Currently held by the SNP with a majority of 60 Alec MacKinnon Top 10 marginal seats to watch at the general election Glasgow East Currently held by the SNP with a majority of 75 Christine Johnstone

Mr Sweneey added that he was speaking out about the alleged incident, which he referred to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, as he feared no action would have been taken before the election.

Mr Thomson, who led Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party leadership campaign north of the border, strongly denies the Labour MP’s account of events, accusing Mr Sweeney of making “entirely false allegations for the purpose of political point-scoring”.

But in a statement posted on social media on Sunday, Mr Thomson said he had “made the most difficult decision that I could ever make”, adding: “I have decided that I will stand down as the Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate for Aberdeen South”.

He continued: “Anonymous and malicious allegations this year has made my life a living hell. It has been nothing short of traumatic. I have suffered a level of personal abuse that has affected my health, my mental wellbeing and my staff.

“I remain confident that the ongoing parliamentary standards process will find in my favour, and that these baseless claims will be shown up for what they are.”

A spokesman for Mr Sweeney added: “This assault, which took place last October, was reported to the appropriate authorities after similar but entirely separate allegations were made by other men against Ross Thomson in February.

“In light of the failure of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to resolve this matter before the general election Mr Sweeney feels it is important that voters in Thomson’s constituency should be aware of his behaviour as their representative at Westminster.”