There is growing pressure on Boris Johnson to act against a senior Tory lawmaker accused of groping two men while intoxicated, with reports that the Prime Minister was already aware of prior allegations of lewd behavior.
Chris Pincher resigned from his position as deputy chief whip Friday night, claiming that he had “embarrassed himself and other people” due to excessive drinking at the exclusive Carlton Club, home of the Tories in London.
However, Mr. Johnson has been instructed to revoke the Tamworth MP’s Tory whip after it was discovered that he was given the crucial responsibility of upholding party discipline in February despite claims that he lacked self control.
In 2017, after being accused of making an unwelcome move at him by a Tory candidate, he publicly apologized and quit as a whip.
Today, Politco identified Mr. Pincher as the Conservative MP who was alleged to have needed a “minder” to go with him to events to keep him out of trouble, a claim that the Conservatives have refuted.
According to No. 10, no further action is necessary because Pincher has resigned from his position as whip.
However, detractors noted that Neil Parish had resigned as the MP for Tiverton and Honiton for viewing porn in the Commons, which was a less serious offense than an alleged sexual assault.
This led to the last week’s by-election, where the Lib Dems won the seat by overturning a Tory majority of more than 24,000 voters.
Although Mr. Pincher holds a 20,000 vote margin in Staffordshire, Labour previously held the seat for 13 years before he was elected in 2010.
One MP who attended the luncheon on Wednesday at the Carlton Club told the Guardian that Mr. Pincher was so inebriated “he could not stand up.”
Simon Hart, the secretary for Wales and a staunch ally of the prime leader, was hesitant to stand up for the 52-year-old former minister for Europe.
On the media circuit this morning, he expressed his “frustration” with the party’s continuous stream of sleaze and said he might lose the whip by the end of the day.
Let’s allow today play out and let the chief whip do his job, he said, adding that as the day progressed, “I think we might be having a very different discourse.”
The Government’s response to the charges, according to Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, is a “complete disgrace,” and Mr. Pincher should be stripped of his whip.
She stated on the Today program on BBC Radio 4 that these accusations are quite serious.
It concerns sexual assault. The Wakefield and Tiverton by-elections, which were both prompted by major occurrences involving Conservative MPs, came before this one.
Therefore, it is a complete embarrassment that the Prime Minister believes that by retiring, he has done the right thing and that an investigation is not necessary.
The whip’s office is in charge of maintaining standards and discipline among Conservative MPs. Despite the fact that he had to quit from the whip’s post five years prior due to allegations that are somewhat similar, Boris Johnson nominated this MP to be the deputy chief whip since he was a buddy and ally.
“Of course, there needs to be a thorough inquiry right away, and, of course, he should be suspended from using the whip during that investigation.”
Last night, I drank far too much, Mr. Pincher said in his letter to the PM.
I apologize to you and the persons involved for embarrassing myself and others, which is the last thing I wanted to do.
“I believe that leaving my position as Deputy Chief Whip is the proper course of action given the current situation.”
I must do this because I owe it to both you and the individuals I have agitated.
“I want to reassure you that you will continue to have my unwavering support from the back benches, and I wish you the best as you cope with the effects of COVID-19 and the difficulties posed by global inflation.
The opportunity to serve in Her Majesty’s government has been the greatest honor of my life.
According to The Sun, Mr. Pincher is accused of attacking two other patrons while intoxicated at the Carlton Club, a private members club run by the Tory Party in Piccadilly.
The extraordinary circumstances surrounding Mr. Pincher’s departure are another setback for the Prime Minister, who has already been the target of accusations of misbehaviour relating to lockdown parties in Downing Street.
In an effort to bolster party discipline in the face of MP discontent with the way the Government was being managed, the MP for Tamworth was appointed alongside chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris in February.
As a junior whip, he resigned in November 2017 after an accusation that he made an unwanted move at former Olympic rower and Conservative candidate Alex Story. This is his second time leaving the whips office.
After convincing Mr. Story to return to his London home, he is accused of trying to untuck his shirt and stroking his neck while adding, “You will go far in the Conservative Party.”
According to Mr. Story, Mr. Pincher once left the room and said, “Let me just slip into something more comfortable,” before coming back wearing a bathrobe that looked like it belonged to Harvey Weinstein from a dollar store.
An investigation by the Conservative party found no wrongdoing by him.
Theresa May rehired him as deputy chief whip in January 2018 after he had reported himself to the police and the Conservative Party complaints process.
Mr. Johnson was transferred to the Foreign Office as the minister for Europe and the Americas when he was became prime minister in July 2019 before making a third trip back to the whips office.
Following the defeats in the Wakefield, Tiverton, and Honiton by-elections, Oliver Dowden abruptly resigned from his position as party co-chairman just a few days before his departure.
It causes Mr. Johnson, who arrived back in the country on Thursday after spending nine days abroad, yet extra headache because he now has to fulfil two very important duties.
The latest sleaze issue to hit the Tory party in recent months is Mr. Pincher’s resignation.
Following the disclosure of charges of sexual harassment and cocaine usage in April, David Warburton forced the withdrawal of the Conservative whip.
After being accused of abusing the substance and touching three women improperly, the MP for Somerton and Frome is the subject of a parliamentary probe.
After viewing pornography in the Commons later that month, Conservative MP Neil Parish resigned from his position for Tiverton and Honiton.
Farmer Mr. Parish initially said he watched an X-rated film by mistake while looking for tractors and later claimed he did so on purpose in the Commons chamber.
Then, a Tory MP who shall remain nameless was detained last month on suspicion of seven years’ worth of sexual offenses, including rape. The alleged crimes were reportedly committed in London between 2002 and 2009 by a guy in his 50s.
According to the Metropolitan Police, he was also detained on suspicion of indecent assault, abuse of a position of trust, and misconduct in a public office.
While unions last night argued that the anonymous MP should be formally suspended to protect staff, the Conservative Party has requested him to avoid Parliament during the probe.
Ahmad Khan was sentenced to 18 months in prison for sexually abusing a 15-year-old child in May as well.
At the victim’s family home in Staffordshire 14 years ago, Khan, 48, loaded the kid with gin, tried to convince him to view pornography, and then molested him in his bed.
Following his conviction, the Wakefield MP resigned from his position and was expelled from the Conservative Party, which led to a by-election that Labour won.
His victim testified in Southwark Crown Court that the ordeal now causes him difficulty with touching and affection.
The Carlton Club, where Mr. Pincher is accused of groping two men, is a private, members-only club that was founded in 1832 by senior Tories. Conservative leaders are typically given lifetime memberships to the club, which was previously exclusive to men until David Cameron changed the rules in 2008.
Prior to that, Margaret Thatcher was the sole full-female member and was given honorary membership when she became the party’s leader in 1975.
Due to the club’s elite membership, which only allows members and their guests, Conservative MPs frequently visit it for drinks after Parliament.
Mr. Pincher is not anticipated to lose the party whip, so he will continue serving as a Conservative MP and preventing the party from holding a by-election.
Chris was originally elected as the Tamworth Conservative Member of Parliament in May 2010, and he was re-elected with a majority of 19,364 in December 2019.