Two senior female Conservatives have called for the establishment of a code of conduct for the party’s MPs to ensure that all allegations of improper behaviour are thoroughly investigated.
Former minister Karen Bradley and Caroline Nokes wrote to Tory chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris following the resignation of his deputy Christopher Pincher after he allegedly groped two young men in a London private members’ club.
They raised concern that the party has dealt with allegations of sexual misconduct in an “inconsistent and unclear” way, with some MPs thrown out of the party during an investigation of complaints while others are allowed to stay on. They warned of “serious reputational damage” if the party was seen to turn a blind eye to some misdemeanours.
Despite quitting his government job in disgrace, Mr Pincher is so far facing no investigation by the Conservative Party into his behaviour and has not been stripped of the Tory whip in parliament.
Ms Bradley and Ms Nokes, both chairs of House of Commons committees, said: “Recent incidents have demonstrated an inconsistent and unclear approach by the party to instances of sexual misconduct.
“The party, and by extension the government, are at risk of serious reputational damage by the current approach.”
They called on Mr Heaton-Harris swiftly to introduce a code of conduct for all Tory MPs, which they said should be “clear in terms of the expectations of behaviour and which can be applied in a fair, independent manner so as to avoid any suspicion of bias”.
In the meantime, they urged the chief whip to employ a “zero tolerance” approach to the issue and ensure a thorough investigation is carried out in every case, with the party whip suspended and MPs told to stay away from parliament while inquiries take place.
“Once an investigation is completed, a decision should be taken about returning the whip, but in the meantime anyone subject to such and investigation should not be allowed to sit as a Conservative MP and represent the party in any capacity,” said Ms Nokes, who chairs the women and equalities committee, and Ms Bradley, who is chair of the procedure committee.
