Boris Johnson is facing mounting pressure over touchy claims against a Conservative Party MP, as two senior female MPs demand a “zero tolerance” approach to sexual misconduct in the party.
Chris Pincher quit his role as deputy chief whip after he allegedly groped two men – and the prime minister has been called on to kick him out of the Tory caucus.
Downing Street defended the prime minister’s decision to appoint Mr Pincher to the role of whip earlier this year despite concerns raised at the time, saying it was “not appropriate to suspend an appointment based on unsubstantiated allegations”.
Politics Hub: No 10 responds to report PM was aware of touchy allegations
Tory MPs Karen Bradley and Caroline Noakes – the only two Conservative female chairs of backbenches – took aim in a joint letter at what they called the party’s “inconsistent and unclear approach” to such incidents.
In a letter to Chief Whip Chris Heaton-Harris, they said the current approach risked causing “serious reputational damage” to the party and government and called on him to introduce a code of conduct for all Conservative MPs “which is clear about expectations for behavior’.
They added: “In the meantime, we ask that you use a zero-tolerance policy on these matters and ensure that a thorough investigation is carried out in each and every case.”
“Once the investigation is complete a decision should be made to return the whip, but in the meantime anyone who is the subject of such an investigation should not be allowed to sit as a Conservative MP and represent the party in any capacity.”
The prime minister’s spokesman rejected suggestions that Mr Johnson was not taking the sexual assault allegations seriously and said he found his behavior “unacceptable”.
“The prime minister thinks he is [Mr Pincher] did the right thing by resigning and accepting that resignation,” the spokesman said.
In his role as whip, Mr Pincher was responsible for party discipline and ensuring the smooth running of government business at Westminster.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:55 “Something went horribly wrong”
The prime minister’s supporters “changed their minds” after the vote of confidence
Sky News was told the episode added to the number of Tories who have lost faith in the prime minister – on top of the 148 who handed down a vote of no confidence in a bitter outcry last month.
One unnamed Tory MP told Sky News: “Parish was nothing compared to that. There’s no way he could hold the whip.”
It was a reference to Neil Parrish – whose resignation as an MP after he admitted to viewing pornography in the House of Commons led to the Tories being routed in the by-election by the Lib Dems in Tiverton and Honiton.
The deputy added: “I know three or four people who voted confidence in the prime minister, who have changed their minds.”
Labor also called for Mr Pincher to be stripped of the whip – meaning he would be kicked out of the party’s caucus and stand as an independent MP.
Fresh allegations of Tory sex offenders add to Boris Johnson’s woes
As Boris Johnson returns from his world tour, Chris Pincher’s resignation will add to his problems at home.
The last thing a prime minister struggling to save his own leadership needs is to lose an ally responsible for keeping the backbench rebels in check.
The fact that Mr Johnson is now seeking a deputy chief whip and party chairman (as well as an ethics adviser) makes a reshuffle sooner rather than later more likely.
The bigger problem for Mr Johnson, however, is the debate that Mr Pincher’s resignation will inevitably rekindle around the culture at Westminster and in particular the Tory Party.
A week after two by-elections sparked by pornography and child sexual abuse, the Conservatives are facing fresh questions about why so many Tory MPs have found themselves embroiled in scandal.
Comparisons continue to be made with the sloppiness of the John Major years – a pattern of controversy followed by tough by-elections.
Labor will no doubt be eyeing a possible by-election in Mr Pincher’s seat of Tamworth, a constituency it lost to the Tories in 2010.
There is currently a majority of 19,600 in Tamworth and it will take less swing to change hands than in Tiverton and Honiton.
We’re not quite there yet, as Mr Pincher would have to not only lose the whip, but also stand down as an MP (or be kicked out under the recall procedure) to trigger a by-election.
But if the mood is against him, things can develop very quickly.
“I’m embarrassed”
Mr Pincher resigned as deputy chief whip after admitting he drank “too much” and “embarrassed myself and other people” during a night out.
“I apologize to you and to those affected,” the Tamworth MP said in a letter to the Prime Minister.
Mr Pincher is said to have “groped two men in front of others” at the Carlton club in the St James area of central London, a government source told Sky News. One was a member of parliament, and the second may also be a member of parliament, the source added.
Earlier, Welsh Minister Simon Hart told Sky News he was “very sad” about the situation but declined to be drawn on Mr Pincher’s future.
He added: “I think it is absolutely right that the chief whip and others take a view today on what the appropriate course of action is.”
Mr Hart said “if there are people who are victims of this or who wish to make a complaint, they can do so”.
He added: “It’s not the first time, I’m afraid it probably won’t be the last. It happens in workplaces from time to time.”
Add Comment