Appointment as minister despite ‘bullying’ inquiry
ANDREW Griffiths was made Minister for Small Business despite being investigated following allegations of inappropriate touching and bullying, it has been revealed.
The Tory MP was later cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent panel and no further action was taken. He was made a Government minister in January.
Constituents are calling for Mr Griffiths to step down as an MP after he bombarded two female constituents with sexually charged text messages.
Yesterday it emerged he had also been accused by a Conservative councillor of being “very forward” after he allegedly touched her knee and clutched her waist at a fund-raising ball at Uttoxeter racecourse in September 2016. East Staffordshire councillor Deneice Florence-Jukes made a written complaint to Tory party headquarters, claiming she had been
“completely humiliated and bullied” by Mr
Griffiths over several months, Deneice Florence-Jukes according to the Guardian newspaper.
The complaint was reportedly referred to the party’s newly founded sexual harassment hotline in November last year. Mr Griffiths was made Minister for Small Business on January 10, while this investigation was still ongoing. The inquiry was not dismissed until February, after Mr Griffiths claimed it was “implausible” for him to have touched a colleague’s knee in a room full of people. He was therefore cleared of wrongdoing.
The alleged incident was initially reported to Richard Grosvenor, Tory leader of East Staffordshire Borough Council. He told the Mirror: “Andrew’s got a problem which he’s seeking help for. I’ve got nothing but sympathy and compassion for him in that problem.”
Mr Grosvenor said he had met with Councillor Florence-Jukes after she made the allegation, saying she was in “floods of tears”.
But referring to last weekend’s sex texts revelations, he felt Mr Griffiths’ behaviour was “completely wrong” and he should now step down as an MP.
Councillor Grosvenor also claimed to the Guardian that he had been the victim of “extreme bullying for many years” by the MP and had complained to party bosses about his behaviour.
He told the Guardian: “I deplore bullying and aggression of any description against anyone.”
Councillor Florence-Jukes resigned from the Tory party in protest at the handling of the complaint and now sits as an independent councillor. Speaking to the Burton Mail earlier this week, she said she thought Mr Griffiths should stand down over his sex text shame.