Why did it take Boris Johnson so long to ditch drunken Chris Pincher?
BORIS Johnson finally booted shamed former Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher out of the Tory Party last night over his drunken groping shame. In a spectacular U-turn, the PM withdrew the whip from the disgraced 52-year-old despite initially considering the matter closed as he had resigned as a minister. But questions were being asked last […]
BORIS Johnson finally booted shamed former Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher out of the Tory Party last night over his drunken groping shame.
In a spectacular U-turn, the PM withdrew the whip from the disgraced 52-year-old despite initially considering the matter closed as he had resigned as a minister.
But questions were being asked last night as to why it took Mr Johnson and his party so long to deal with a man who had faced accusations of lewd behaviour going back more than a decade.
It was even reported that Pincher — nicknamed “Arse” by some MPs because his surname matched his behaviour — required a minder to go to events with him.
The aim, it was said, was to keep him out of trouble. The Conservatives deny the claim.
Pincher, who had been in charge of party discipline, was replaced last night by former housing minister Kelly Tolhurst.
READ MORE ABOUT CHRIS PINCHER
The scandal erupted when an official complaint was made to Parliament’s sleaze watchdog over Pincher’s conduct.
It was alleged that he groped two men at the swanky Carlton Club, the Conservative Party’s original home, in St James’s, central London.
Pincher, MP for Tamworth, Staffs, since 2010, resigned as a minister, telling the PM in a letter: “Last night I drank far too much.” But he tried to cling on as a Tory MP.
However, his boss, Chief Whip Chris Heaton- Harris, decided to step in.
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His spokesman said the PM “has agreed with the Chief Whip that the whip should be suspended from Chris Pincher while the investigation is ongoing”.
But Mr Johnson, who hired him in February, was under fire for claiming he knew nothing about Pincher’s sleazy background.
His spokesman said the PM “was not aware of any specific allegations” despite Pincher resigning as a whip in 2017 over lurid allegations.
He was accused of making a pass at former Olympic rower Alex Story while dressed in a bathrobe like a “pound shop Harvey Weinstein”.
Tory activist Mr Story, 26 at the time, said Pincher attempted to untuck his shirt, massaged his neck and whispered: “You’ll go far in the Conservative Party.”
Pincher quit and referred himself to police over the incident — said to have occurred at his home in 2001. A Tory probe cleared him.
A No10 source said the PM was aware of some rumours against Pincher but nothing substantiated, which is how he made it through the vetting process.
The PM decided to boot him out of the party after speaking to an MP who witnessed Pincher’s lewd behaviour at the club.
A No10 insider said: “The account given was sufficiently disturbing to make the PM feel more troubled.”
Disgraced tractor porn MP Neil Parish accused Mr Johnson of double standards for not kicking Pincher out sooner.
The farmer, who stepped down in May after admitting watching X-rated videos in Parliament, said: “The first thing they did to me, and I made a huge mistake, is that they withdrew the whip. There cannot be double standards.”
Senior Tory MPs Karen Bradley and Caroline Nokes have asked Tory Party chiefs to bring in a new code of conduct.
They called for zero tolerance over instances of sexual misconduct.
In a letter to the Chief Whip, they said Pincher should stay away from Parliament during the investigation.
Meanwhile, Tory grandee William Hague also suggested the PM could have acted quicker.
He told Times Radio: “I’d have liked to have seen that announcement earlier in the day but we have to be rigorous.
It’s really important to uphold high standards in public life. Consistency requires suspension of the whip.”
Last night, Labour said the PM had been “dragged kicking and screaming into taking any action at all”.
Deputy leader Angela Rayner, said: “He just can’t be trusted to do the right thing. This whole scandal is yet more evidence of his appalling judgment.
“It’s time for Conservative MPs to show this chaotic Prime Minister the door before he can do any more damage.”
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Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain questioned why Mr Pincher got the job.
She said: “Boris Johnson also has serious questions to answer over why he appointed Chris Pincher to a role with important safeguarding responsibilities — despite concerns about him having been raised.”
LETTER FROM TORY MPS KAREN BRADLEY AND CAROLINE NOKES
‘Recent incidents have demonstrated an inconsistent and unclear approach to instances of sexual misconduct . . . we ask that you employ a policy of zero tolerance on these issues’
SCANDALS SHAMING THE HOME OF POLITICS
THE Commons has been dubbed Pestminster after a string of sex scandals.
They include former Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan, jailed for 18 months in May after we revealed he groped a teen in 2008.
Khan, who tried to gag The Sun, resigned — triggering a by-election in Wakefield, which the Tories lost.
Conservative MP Neil Parish quit after being caught watching porn in the Commons in April. He claimed to be looking for tractors. The party lost his safe Devon seat.
Fellow Tory David Warburton had the Tory whip removed in April after allegations of sexual harassment and cocaine use. He denies wrongdoing.
In May, The Sun revealed an unnamed Tory MP was arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault.
Labour MP Mike Hill quit in 2021 after he was accused of groping a staffer.
A panel found him guilty of sexual misconduct and noted he “expressed remorse but only for the circumstances in which he now found himself”.
The SNP’s Patrick Grady left the party last month after being accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old staffer in 2016.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon quit in 2017 after it was revealed he made a string of offensive remarks to female colleagues.