New claims of inappropriate behaviour by former deputy chief whip Pincher emerged days after he was suspended.
o Fresh allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Chris Pincher have emerged, tracing back many years.Â
o These allegations come in light of his suspension as a Tory MP after he was accused of groping two men.
Chris Pincher is accused of misconduct.
Six new claims of indecent behaviour by former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher have emerged days after he was suspended as a Tory MP following allegations of him groping two men. Meanwhile, the fresh allegations are being said to trace back several years.Â
Pincher, 52, quit his position as Tory deputy chief whip on Thursday after allegedly groping two men at the Carlton Club in London on Wednesday evening. He did not respond to direct questions but has denied the allegations so far.Â
Mr. Pincher, representing Tamworth in Staffordshire, stated that he is seeking professional medical support and has no intention of resigning as a member of parliament.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s appointment as deputy chief whip was to ensure party discipline among Tory MPs during the February cabinet reshuffle.
At the time of his appointment, Therese Coffey stated that Prime Minister Johnson had not been aware of these “specific allegations” against Pincher at the time of his appointment.
She said she had not contacted Mr. Johnson herself but had been informed by someone from the Prime Minister’s office. She added that the appointment of deputy chief whip went through a vetting process as usual.
Pincher reportedly has a history of misconduct.
In fresh allegations this weekend, the Sunday Times reported Mr. Pincher had placed his hand on the inner leg of a male Tory MP in a bar in Parliament in 2017.
Mr. Pincher also allegedly made unwanted advances towards a different male Tory MP in 2018 while in parliamentary office, and then towards a Tory activist in Tamworth around July 2019.
He had reportedly made advances against an individual a decade ago, and a female Tory staffer had tried to block his advances towards a young man at a Conservative Party conference.
There are also allegations from an unnamed male Conservative MP that Mr. Pincher allegedly groped him on two separate occasions in December 2021 and June this year.
The Sunday Times reported that the MP involved in the alleged incident in 2018 contacted the Prime Minister’s Office before Mr. Pincher was made a whip in February, passing on details of what he said had happened to him and voicing his concerns about him being appointed to the role.
The Prime Minister’s Office was said to have not denied claims made by Mr. Johnson’s former chief aide, Dominic Cummings, that the PM referred to the former deputy chief whip as “Pincher by name, pincher by nature” before appointing him.
Downing Street’s justification for appointing Chris Pincher seemed to be that the lack of a formal complaint of sexual harassment. It hasn’t been confirmed that Boris Johnson did not know about the rumours surrounding the deputy chief whip.Â
This definitely puts his credibility on the line as the MPs question his sense of judgement and also puts up the question of whether he should have supported an ally when his allegations held no merit or should he have acted on the rumours to ensure their collective safety.Â
Meanwhile, Tory MP Craig Whittaker has denied reports that he left his position at the whips’ office in February in direct opposition to Mr. Pincher’s appointment, asserting that he stood down over health issues.
