An ex-deputy chief whip was accused of having groped two men at a private members club. He has been suspended from office as a Conservative MP.
After being reported to the Parliament’s behaviour watchdog, Chris Pincher will now sit as an independent.
On Thursday, he wrote a letter to his government job, stating that he had “drank far too much” as well as “embarrassed himself and others”.
Kelly Tolhurst, a former housing minister, has been named his replacement.
After senior Tory MPs and other opposition parties declared his position untenable, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to resign from the party.
Downing Street suggested that the prime minister would consider the matter closed following the resignation of Mr Pincher as deputy chief whip.
However, Friday afternoon’s action was taken following a formal complaint to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme.
Chris Heaton-Harris, Chief Whip spokesperson, stated that the prime minister had agreed to suspend Mr Pincher after the complaint was made.
A source in government defended Mr Pincher’s suspension, saying that No 10 had responded quickly to the complaint.
Independent investigators review complaints against MPs and make recommendations about further action. The spokesperson for the ICGS stated that it cannot provide information regarding any complaint due to confidentiality.
Witnesses reported to the BBC that Mr Pincher was “extremely drunk” at St James’s’s Carlton Club on Wednesday night.
According to the BBC, the Metropolitan Police has not received a report on an incident at the venue.
The Sun newspaper reported his resignation first, stating that he was at the club drinking when he is accused of assaulting two male guests.
The paper stated that several concerned Tory MPs complained about his behavior to the Conservative whips’ office.
According to the BBC, there were many people in the small room that had a bar at the club for private members. This included ministers and other MPs as well as club officials and public relations professionals.
Pincher wrote the prime minister in his resignation letter: “Last night, I drank far to much.”
He said: “I believe the right thing to have in these circumstances is to resign from my position as deputy chief whip. You and all the people I have caused distress to, I owe this to you.
Angela Rayner, Labour’s Deputy Leader, said that Mr Pincher had been “dragged kicking-and-screaming” by the prime minister.
He just cannot be trusted to do the right things. She said that the whole scandal was yet another example of his appalling judgment.
“It is time for Conservative MPs show this chaotic prime Minister the door before he does any more damage.”
Wendy Chamberlain, chief whip of Liberal Democrats, said that the prime minister had to do the right thing “once more”.
She said, “It shouldn’t have taken Boris Johnson so long to act”
“There cannot be any more excuses or cover-ups. Chris Pincher will be forced to resign if this investigation confirms the serious allegations.
Two Tory female MPs, both senior women, said that the party’s recent response to sexual misconduct allegations posed a risk to its reputation and increased pressure on the prime Minister to act.
Karen Bradley and Caroline Nokes, both chairs of select committees, stated that anyone being investigated for such allegations shouldn’t be allowed to represent the party. They also called for a new code for conduct for Tory MPs.
According to a Tory MP, they previously raised concerns with Mr Pincher about his behavior with senior figures at No 10 and within the Conservative Party.
The MP stated that he did a lot when he was in charge of chief whip, but he never got it. There were some concerns. None of us had any proof that we could use. He should have his whip suspended and hold a by-election.
A spokesperson for No 10 said that Mr Johnson did not know of any allegations against Mr Pincher prior to his appointment as deputy chief whip.
He was elected first as Tamworth MP in 2010. He also served as a minister for former Prime Minister Theresa May.
Since February 2022, he had been in the whips’ offices in Mr Johnson’s government. He was also a minister in both the Foreign Office (Levelling Up) and the Foreign Office.
Whips are MPs responsible for party discipline. They are responsible for ensuring that their colleagues vote in line with the party line in Parliament, and also providing pastoral support.
After a string of allegations of sexual misconduct, the parliamentary behaviour watchdog that is investigating Mr Pincher’s complaint was established in 2018.
It was created to investigate complaints of inappropriate behavior, such as harassment, bullying, or sexual misconduct.
