Whip refers himself to police for ‘pound-shop Weinstein pass’
A TORY whip has referred himself to the police after he was accused of making an unwanted pass at former Olympic rower and Conservative activist Alex Story while he was dressed in a bathrobe.
Chris Pincher, elected in 2010, has denied the allegation, after the athlete claimed he had come across as a “pound-shop Harvey Weinstein”.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “Mr Pincher has voluntarily referred himself both to the Conservative Party’s complaints procedure and the police, and has voluntarily stepped down from the whips’ office in the meantime.”
The alleged incident reportedly took place at Mr Pincher’s London home after a day’s canvassing in 2001. Mr Story alleges that after being poured a whisky, Mr Pincher “became unusually tactile”.
Mr Pincher told the Mail on Sunday: “I do not recognise either the events or the interpretation placed on them by the Mail on Sunday. Whatever may or may not have happened or been said was obviously many years before I became an MP. If Mr Story has ever felt offended by anything I said then I can only apologise to him.”