Today’s minister dodged questions about whether a disgraced deputy whip could lose his party whip.
Chris Pincher announced his resignation yesterday evening with a letter that began: “Dear prime minister, last night I drank far too much. I’ve embarrassed myself and other people which is the last thing I want to do and I apologize to those concerned.”
The Sun reportsTwo guests were allegedly groped by Tamworth MP on Wednesday night at the Carlton Club.
Sky News spoke to Simon Hart, Welsh Secretary, about whether he felt Pincher should have the whip taken away. He also stressed that this was a matter for chief whip Chris Heaton Harris.
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“I know it is the most boring thing in the world when people like me come on and won’t give you a straight answer,” he said.
However Hart added that he has his own view on the issue, and that: “you can probably tell what that is just from the way I am sort of trying to avoid answering your question”.
“Let’s let today play out, let the Chief Whip do his duty today, and then I think we might be having a very different conversation as the day goes on,” Hart explained.
When quizzed over whether this would be the last such scandal Hart said it would likely not be, arguing that: “This happens in workplaces from time to time, whatever we may think, and I am not trying to say look, just look the other way… absolutely not.”
Labour have already called for Pincher to have the whip suspended, with deputy leader Angela Rayner tweeting: “There can be no question of the Conservatives sweeping a potential sexual assault under the carpet. Boris Johnson must now clarify how Chris Pincher could remain a Conservative MP. Standards in public life have been utterly degraded on this PM’s watch.”
An anonymous Conservative MP expressed disappointment over the government’s reaction thus far, telling Politico that: “No. 10’s initial response — suggesting he’s done ‘the decent thing’ and allowing him to retain the whip — tells us that Boris Johnson doesn’t take allegations of sexual assault as seriously as the leader of a government should and is the latest demonstration of why he is unfit to be prime minister. The standards of behavior expected in an organization are set by the person who leads it.”
Pincher was reappointed deputy whip in February 2022. He had previously served as the minister for housing since 2020 and as the minister of state at the foreign office between 2019 and 2020.
He was also the Government Deputy Chief Whip during 2018 and 2019 Parliamentary Brexit disputes.
Pincher is not the only Conservative MP facing sexual impropriety allegations this year.
David Warburton currently has his whip suspended, while he is still being investigated after a series of allegations regarding sexual assault and drug-taking.
Neil Parish resigned after being suspended for viewing pornography via his phone in the Commons Chamber.
Imran Ahmad Khan was arrested in April for historic sexual assault and Crispin Blunt, his fellow MP, was also jailed.
Unnamed Conservative MPs have been reported to have been expelled from Parliament after being arrested on rape charges.
