PM acts after pressure over Pincher whip

The Conservative whip has been suspended from Chris Pincher after an investigation was launched into allegations he drunkenly groped two men at a private members’ club.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson bowed to pressure after a complaint about the MP was made to Parliament’s watchdog that examines allegations of sexual misconduct.

Mr Pincher quit as Tory deputy chief whip after the alleged incident at the exclusive London club.

The prime minister had been resisting calls to go further and remove the whip, meaning the MP for Tamworth in Staffordshire would sit as an independent in the Commons.

But yesterday, the action was taken after a formal complaint was made to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS).

A spokeswoman for Conservative chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris said: “Having heard that a formal complaint has been made to the ICGS, the PM has agreed with the chief whip that the whip should be suspended from Chris Pincher while the investigation is ongoing.

“We will not pre-judge that investigation.”

Mr Johnson spoke to several individuals yesterday, including a Tory MP who was with one of the men who was allegedly groped by Mr Pincher, a Downing Street source said.

“The account given was sufficiently disturbing to make the PM feel more troubled,” the source told the PA news agency.

Downing Street appeared to acknowledge that there had been concerns when he was appointed to the key post of deputy chief whip, with responsibility for discipline over Tory MPs, in February.

However a No 10 spokesman said the prime minister had not been made aware of anything that would have prevented the appointment.

“In the absence of any formal complaints, it was not appropriate to stop an appointment on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations,” the spokesman said.

Downing Street appointed former housing minister Kelly Tolhurst, the MP for Rochester and Strood, to be the next deputy chief whip.

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said: “Boris Johnson has been dragged kicking and screaming into taking any action at all. He just can’t be trusted to do the right thing.

“This whole scandal is yet more evidence of his appalling judgment.”

Johnson has been dragged kicking and screaming into taking action

SUSPENDED: Chris Pitcher has had the Tory whip removed over groping allegations.