Alan Lewis
Alan Lewis

Tory vice-chairman Alan Lewis has been arrested after a woman claimed he raped her in the late 1960s when she was a teenage student.

Lewis, 75, was reportedly preparing to set off for next week's Tory party conference in Manchester when officers took him to a police station in Belgravia, London, for questioning and placed him under arrest.

A woman who is now in her sixties, married, and living in Dorset claims Lewis raped her in a hotel in Manchester while he was visiting on a business trip. At the time, he was a successful entrepreneur who was in the process of building his £220 million fortune turning around ailing textiles firms.

He was later bailed as police pursue their inquiries.

David Cameron, who appointed Lewis Tory vice-chairman in 2011, was informed of the arrest.

Speaking to the Mirror, a senior Conservative party source said: "We are in a state of shock over this.

"It could not have come at a worse time. Alan's arrest will become the talking point of next week's conference."

Another source confirmed Lewis's key role in the party to the paper.

"Alan is a hugely popular figure with the senior ranks of the party, and his close relationship with David Cameron is well known.

"He plays a crucial role in keeping the obvious links between the Conservatives and their friends in the business world."

The Crombie clothing tycoon became a Tory in the early 1980s.

In 1990, he was awarded a CBE for his role as chairman of the Confederation of British Industry, helping UK businesses make the transition to the European common market.

A staunch Christian and a karate black belt, Lewis is an advocate of a 'holistic' approach to eating and Christian healing.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: "A 75-year-old man was arrested following a complaint received earlier this year of an historic rape that occurred in the Manchester area in the late 60s.

"The man was later bailed pending further inquiries."

A Conservative party spokesman said: "This is an ongoing police matter so we are not able to make any comments."

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