Pincher: the name sounds like a character from a Jeffrey Archer novel or the TV series House of Cards.
There has certainly been some wry smiles and giggles among MPs about the former Deputy Chief of Staff’s unusual surname and the groping allegations against him.
But in terms of severity, when Mr. Pincher faced his humiliation, the fact that Boris Johnson was shame about discipline a close ally following a call to action from senior Tory MPs, led by two former female ministers.
Political center: Boris Johnson agrees to withdraw whip from Tory MP after ‘groping drunk’ claim
We are used to the prime minister’s spectacular turnarounds. But the belated decision to withdraw the Tory whip from Pincher after the initial defiance was inevitable and predictable.
At noon, the Prime Minister’s spokesman denied that Mr Johnson had been warned about Mr Pincher’s conduct when appointing him to the key post of deputy director-general in February.
Really? In 2017, at the height of the so-called “Pestminster” scandal, Mr Pincher was forced to resign from the whip office after an accuser – a former Olympic rower – claimed he behaved like a “Harvey Weinstein pound store”.
He received the job of deputy director of the whip during this February’s reshuffle as a reward for his key role in the so-called “Operation Save Big Dog”, removing opposition to the Prime Minister from Tory MPs at the height of partisan scandal.
And after protests led by former ministers Caroline Nokes and Karen Bradley, who chair the Commons selection committees, the inevitable Downing Street overthrow came at 5pm, just five hours after the original Number 10 challenge.
The official reason given for the escalation is that a formal complaint about Mr Pincher has now been sent to Commons authorities.
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Ex Tory MP: Double Standard via Pincher
Some would say Mr. Pincher was lucky that the police were not asked to investigate. But. That could happen.
The investigation will be conducted by the Independent Complaints and Complaints Program (ICGS), set up in 2018 after “Pestminster”.
The organization’s main job is to tackle sexual misconduct by MPs, although its mandate also includes allegations of bullying and harassment.
But the inevitable escalation will not spare Mr Johnson from claims that his ruling was once again proven to be deeply flawed and that he was once again irresponsibly lenient towards his friend. life, ally or ally is accused of wrongdoing.
Remember Owen Paterson and Matt Hancock. First a defiance from the Prime Minister, then the inevitable withdrawal after a political and public backlash.
In a delightful irony, Neil Parish, a former Devon MP who was brutally kicked out of Parliament after watching porn on his cell phone in the Commons room, has alleged The prime minister has double standards when it comes to Mr. Pincher.
Critics of the Prime Minister will argue that once again Mr Johnson wants to see if he can bravely get away with defending his friend Mr Pincher, but after only a few short hours he realizes that he bow before the inevitable.
Those critics will also argue that Mr Johnson’s attempt to stick to Mr Pincher as a Tory MP is always doomed to failure and raise further questions about his ability to take office, lack of integrity and contempt. his rules and manners.
However, the Prime Minister’s supporters claim that he took the sound from MPs during the day and upon hearing of the formal complaint sent to ICGS acted properly and took the right course of action.
Mr Pincher’s replacement was another Johnson loyalist, Kelly Tolhurst, an MP for Rochester and Strood in Kent, who was previously a whipper, then a junior minister.
Some Tory MPs fear the whole Pincher defeat could do more harm than partying for the Prime Minister. Critics say it confirms his blind devotion to his mates, terrible judgment and lack of morality.
Boris Johnson is almost certainly a more colorful and controversial character than any character in political fiction or TV series.
And now that a formal investigation into the allegations against Mr. Pincher is underway, this story is far from over.
