PM asks for knowledge of MP Chris Pincher’s allegations to be explained before handing him over to deputy sheriff | Political news
Labor has called on Boris Johnson to present what he knows about allegations of inappropriate behavior by disgruntled MP Chris Pincher before appointing him to Tory whip’s office.
The Prime Minister is said to have referred to the MP as “Pincher by name, by nature” before making him a deputy sheriff in February.
Mr. Pincher resigned from this role after Drunk defendant groping two men at a private members club in London last week.
It is the second time the MP for Tamworth in Staffordshire has resigned from the whip office after Conservative Party candidate Alex Story accused him of making an inappropriate step in 2017.
Labor Chairman Anneliese Dodds wrote to the prime minister asking to know what Downing Street knew about the allegations against his ally before he was appointed a second time as a whip.
“Only Boris Johnson could look at this guy’s record and think ‘he deserves a promotion’,” she said in a statement.
“This vizier is clearly happy to wipe adultery under the rug to save his own skin.”
She also questioned why the Tory whipping was not suspended until Friday – meaning the MP now sits as an independent – when the incident took place at the Carlton Club on Wednesday.
Mr Pincher is accused of drunkenly groping two men at a private club in London
Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson’s former chief aide, said Mr Johnson referred to the MP “in the Number 10 funny way as ‘Pincher by name, naturally’ long before appointing him”.
While Downing Street did not object to that account, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey argued that Mr Johnson did not know the “specific statement” about parliamentarians.
“I don’t believe he knew, that’s what I was told today,” she told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday.
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PM ‘not aware of specific claims’ against Pincher
The head of the Liberal Democrats Wendy Chamberlain blamed Mr Johnson for “sleazy toxic government”.
“He must now be forced to reveal what he knew before making the date,” she added.
Mr. Pincher, who is being investigated by Congress’s Independent Complaints and Complaints Program, said he search for “professional medical assistance” and hopes to return to represent his constituents “as soon as possible”.
