Tory MP has whip suspended after claims he ‘drunkenly groped two men’
A Tory MP who allegedly groped two men has been suspended from the party while an investigation gets underway.
Chris Pincher dramatically resigned as deputy chief whip last night, saying he had ‘drank far too much and embarrassed himself’ the evening before.
It is claimed he assaulted two men at a private member’s club in London, with his behaviour sparking complaints from other colleagues.
No 10 had said they considered the matter closed following his resignation, in which he apologised to the prime minister ‘and those concerned’.
But Boris Johnson was under pressure to go further and suspend him amid a Westminster sleaze scandal embroiling his government.
In a letter to the chief whip, Chris Heaton-Harris, two senior female Tory MPs said the party’s recent approach to allegations of sexual misconduct posed a risk of ‘serious reputational damage’.
Caroline Nokes and Karen Bradley said anyone under investigation for such allegations should not be allowed to represent the party and called for a new code of conduct for Tory MPs.
Tonight, a spokeswoman for the Tory party said the prime minister has agreed that the Conservative whip should be suspended from Chris Pincher while he is investigated by the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (IGS).
A statement from the Chief Whip’s office said: ‘Having heard that a formal complaint has been made to the ICGS, the PM has agreed with the Chief Whip that the whip should be suspended from Chris Pincher while the investigation is ongoing.
‘We will not pre-judge that investigation. We urge colleagues and the media to respect that process.’
Mr Pincher has not responded to the specifics of the allegation, which was first reported on in The Sun.
A Downing Street source said the PM spoke to several individuals on Friday, including a Tory MP who was with one of the men who was allegedly groped by Mr Pincher.
‘The account given was sufficiently disturbing to make the PM feel more troubled by all this,’ the source said.
Removing the whip means the Tamworth MP will sit as an independent in the Commons.
However there were calls for him to quit as an MP altogether on Friday, after other allegations about his previous conduct were made.
In 2017 Mr Pincher quit the whips office after a complaint over an unwanted pass at the former Olympic rower and Conservative candidate Alex Story. He was reinstated two months later as a senior whip by Theresa May after having referred himself to both the police and the Conservative Party complaints procedure.
Mr Johnson has come under pressure to explain why he gave Mr Pincher the post of deputy chief whip in February amid reports that he had been advised not to do so.
Downing Street appeared to acknowledge that there had been concerns when he was appointed to the key post, with responsibility for discipline over Tory MPs.
However a No 10 spokesman said the PM had not been made aware of anything that would have prevented the appointment going ahead.
‘In the absence of any formal complaints, it was not appropriate to stop an appointment on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations,’ the spokesman said.
The latest disclosures come after the Conservative Party has been hit by a series of scandals relating to sexual misconduct.
In May, Neil Parish quit as MP for Tiverton and Honiton after admitting viewing pornography in the Commons chamber, while the previous month Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan was jailed for 18 months for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.
In both cases the Conservatives lost the ensuing by elections by huge majorities.
A third unnamed Conservative MP has been told by the whips to stay away from Parliament after he was arrested on suspicion of rape and other offences.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner criticised the prime minister’s handling of the latest claims.
She said: ‘Boris Johnson has been dragged kicking and screaming into taking any action at all. He just can’t be trusted to do the right thing.
‘This whole scandal is yet more evidence of his appalling judgment.’
In his resignation letter Mr Pincher said: ‘Last night I drank far too much. I’ve embarrassed myself and other people which is the last thing I want to do and for that I apologise to you and to those concerned.’
The alleged incident reportedly took place in the Carlton Club, the original home of the Conservative Party, in London’s Piccadilly.
Scotland Yard said it had not received any reports of an incident at the club.
The Commons said the ICGS ‘operates on the basis of confidentiality for the benefit of all parties’, adding: ‘Therefore, we cannot provide any information on any complaint, including whether or not a complaint has been received.’
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