Michael Thomas Hancock CBE (born 9 July 1946) is a British politician. He was most recently an independent Member of Parliament (MP) for Portsmouth South. Hancock formally resigned from the Liberal Democrat whip in early June 2014 until a civil court action brought against him by a female constituent alleging improper conduct was resolved. An out-of-court settlement with the woman, known only as 'Annie', was reached later in June 2014 in which Hancock admitted that he "crossed the line" into inappropriate behaviour. Hancock's resignation was announced on 18 September 2014.