Boris Johnson was embroiled in yet another sleaze scandal last night after it emerged he had appointed Tory MP Chris Pincher to a key government role despite being aware of doubts over Mr Pincher's conduct.
The Tamworth MP was stripped of the Conservative whip after a formal complaint about his alleged drunken groping of two men in a private members' club earlier this week. But Tory MPs were furious that the prime minister waited almost 24 hours before suspending Mr Pincher from the party, with one backbencher describing attempts to draw a line under the matter as "farcical".
The whip was finally withdrawn yesterday afternoon after it was announced that the case was being investigated by parliament's Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, launched in the wake of the "Pestminster" scandal.
Mr Pincher resigned as the government's deputy chief whip - a role that includes responsibilities for MPs' welfare - late on Thursday, admitting that he had “drunk far too much [and] embarrassed myself" at the exclusive Carlton Club on London's Piccadilly.
It was his second resignation over sexual misconduct allegations, after he stepped down as a whip in 2017 having been accused of making an unwanted pass at former Olympic rower Alex Story.
On that occasion, a Conservative inquiry cleared him of breaching the party's code of conduct. But MPs said that stories continued to swirl around Westminster about excessive use of alcohol and inappropriate behaviour.
Downing Street insisted yesterday that Mr Johnson had not been aware of "any specific allegations" relating to the 52-yearold MP in February, when he promoted him to the position of deputy chief whip. But a No 10 spokesperson playing a prominent role in the "Operation Save Big Dog" drive to see off threats to Mr Johnson's leadership.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 02, 2022-Ausgabe von The Independent.
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