He squeezed my thigh under table (and another woman’s too)
Downing street has been forced to deny accusations that Boris Johnson groped two women beneath a table at a private lunch two decades ago.
Journalist Charlotte edwardes claimed the Prime minister, who was then editor of the spectator, squeezed her thigh, which made her ‘sit suddenly upright’.
she said she divulged this to a young woman who was sitting on his other side, who said mr Johnson – who had spoken about his ‘current wife’ at the dinner – had done ‘exactly the same’ to her.
A source yesterday said the Prime minister was ‘angry’ at the allegations and flatly denied them.
meanwhile Health secretary matt Hancock came in for criticism after claiming the alleged incident was ‘a private matter’, before rowing back.
Cabinet minister Liz truss, who holds the women and equalities brief, last night pledged to ‘look into the claims’.
the incident was said to have taken place shortly after mr Johnson took over as editor of the spectator in 1999 at the magazine’s former offices at Doughty street in central London.
in a column for the sunday times, miss edwardes wrote: ‘more wine is poured; more wine is drunk. Under the table, i feel Johnson’s hand on my thigh. He gives it a squeeze. His hand is high up my leg and he has enough inner flesh beneath his fingers to make me sit suddenly upright.
‘my mother always said, “Wear a badge to the cinema with which to stab the wandering hands”. But this is work, so i am silent. Afterwards, i confide in the young woman on his other side. she replies, “oh God, he did exactly the same to me”.
‘We speculate: Were the squeezes simultaneous? for balance? Was he hedging? “And did you notice how he kept referring to his ‘current’ wife?”, she says. i did. We grimace. my memory is that he had a “reputation”. still, the “double squeeze” – quite a signature move.’ the allegations have caused fury in No 10 at the start of the Conservative Party conference.
Downing street initially declined to comment, but a spokesman later branded the allegations ‘untrue’.
Responding to the denial, miss edwardes tweeted: ‘if the Prime minister doesn’t recollect the incident then clearly i have a better memory than he does.’
Asked about the claims at a fringe event at the tory conference, mr Hancock said: ‘Boris has never lectured other people about their private lives and i think we should focus on delivering on what we are in politics for, which in my view is to serve the citizens of this country.’
Labour mPs Jess Phillips and Dawn Butler criticised his remarks for ‘dismissing sexual harassment’ and called on the minister to apologise. Later mr Hancock said he did not dismiss the claims telling Channel 4 News: ‘i know Charlotte well and i entirely trust what she has to say.’
ex-defence secretary Penny mordaunt said of mr Johnson: ‘i think occasionally he has the style of frank spencer in a china shop. But he is a decent person and i think he cares a great deal about women and girls.’ mr Johnson was married at the time of the alleged incident to his second wife marina Wheeler.
they filed for divorce a year ago. During his time editing the spectator from 1999 to 2005, it emerged he was having an affair with columnist Petronella Wyatt.