Stanley Johnson says he has ‘no recollection’ after Me Too claims he touched Tory MP Caroline Nokes and a journalist
STANLEY Johnson insisted tonight that he has “no recollection” of the “Me Too” claims that he’d touched up two women. The Prime Minister was yesterday forced into condemning gropers as his own father faced a probe into two separate incidents at Tory Party conferences. Downing Street desperately scrambled to distance themselves from him amid a […]
STANLEY Johnson insisted tonight that he has “no recollection” of the “Me Too” claims that he’d touched up two women.
The Prime Minister was yesterday forced into condemning gropers as his own father faced a probe into two separate incidents at Tory Party conferences.
Downing Street desperately scrambled to distance themselves from him amid a chorus of condemnation across the political divide at his alleged sex pest behaviour.
Mr Johnson senior, 81, faced calls for investigation into claims he “smacked” MP Caroline Nokes on the bum in 2003 and groped journalist Ailbhe Rea in 2019.
The former MEP broke his silence tonight, telling The Sun: “I have no recollection of Caroline Nokes, and no idea what she was talking about.”
And he added: “Had I been asked about the allegation made by the journalist of the New Statesman, I would have said the same thing.”
Sir Keir Starmer demanded an official probe from cops and the party – but the Tories insisted last night they had received no complaint from Ms Nokes about the alleged incidents, and would not be looking into it further.
The PM’s spokesperson said he hasn’t spoken to the PM about it, saying: “I’m not going to be drawn into specific allegations against a private individual.
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“Of course we would want anyone in any circumstance who feels they have been a victim of any kind of harassment to come forward and report them to the appropriate authorities.”
And they came out to condemn groping and anything which would be against the law, saying: “Of course, anyone that’s committed something which is a criminal act, we would not condone it.”
Security minister Damian Hinds insisted the safety of women and girls and “being free from harassment wherever they are” is “an absolute top priority”.
He added: “If there is an investigation to be had, if that is the appropriate course of action, then of course that will happen.”
Last night Ms Nokes came out to “thank the sisterhood for the solidarity and support” since revealing her story.
She said: “I can remember a really prominent man – at the time the Conservative candidate for Teignbridge in Devon – smacking me on the backside about as hard as he could and going, ‘oh, Romsey, you’ve got a lovely seat’.”
GROPING CLAIMS
Describing her recollection, Ms Nokes added: “I would have been in my early 30s, so old enough, old enough to call it out.
“I now regard it as a duty, an absolute duty, to call out wherever you see it.
“Be the noisy, aggravating, aggressive woman in the room because if I’m not prepared to do that, then my daughter won’t be prepared to do that… you do get to a point where you go ‘up with this, I will not put’.”
Stanley Johnson is a former Member of the European Parliament, and appeared on I’m A Celeb in 2017.
Mr Johnson said when approached about the accusation: “I have no recollection of Caroline Nokes at all. But there you go … and no reply.”
The Sun understands Ms Nokes will not be making a formal complaint to the police or the Conservative party at the moment.
