Markus Andrews

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. More

Christopher Pincher is entitled to a severance payment of almost £8,000 as a result of his resignation as government deputy chief whip.All ministers aged under 65 who leave office are entitled to a quarter of their yearly salary under the 1991 Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act.With the deputy chief whip post worth £31,680 a year on top of the MP’s basic salary of £84,144, the Tamworth MP could pocket a payment of £7,920 as he returns to the backbenches.The money is payable whether the individual is departing their government post as a result of resignation or dismissal.But it is up to MPs to decide whether or not to accept the payment.Former health secretary Matt Hancock reportedly turned down severance pay of around £16,000 when he quit over his lockdown-breaching affair with aide Gina Coladangelo last year.Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “Given the seriousness of the allegations facing Chris Pincher and the nature of his resignation, I would very much expect him to forgo his severance pay.” More

Downing Street was aware of “unsubstantiated allegations” against Christopher Pincher at the time Boris Johnson promoted him to deputy chief whip, but they were not deemed sufficient to block the appointment, No 10 has revealed.A No 10 spokesperson denied that Mr Johnson was urged not to appoint Mr Pincher to the post, which includes responsibilities for MPs’ welfare.But the spokesperson refused to explain what the allegations against the Tamworth MP were or the extent of the prime minister’s knowledge of them in February, when he restored him to a role which he had previously resigned in 2017 over earlier claims of sexual harassment.Initially, the spokesperson said that Mr Johnson was “not aware of any allegations” against Pincher when he chose him for the job. But he later corrected himself to say the PM was “not aware of any specific allegations”.The No 10 spokesperson refused to discuss the issue of whether Mr Pincher should be stripped of the Conservative whip, stand down as an MP or face a recall petition, insisting that these were matters for the Tory Party, the MP himself and his constituents.Mr Pincher was subjected to the same vetting process by the Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team undergone by all appointees to roles within the government, the spokesperson said.“In the absence of any formal complaint, it was not appropriate to stop the appointment on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations,” he said.Mr Johnson and Mr Pincher exchanged text messages last night around the time of the MP announcing his resignation, said No 10.The PM accepted his resignation and said that it was the right thing to do, said the spokesperson, who said that Mr Johnson regarded Mr Pincher’s behaviour as “unacceptable”.Unusually for a government resignation, no letter from Mr Johnson thanking the former whip for his service has been written and none will be published.The spokesperson did not explain what aspects of Mr Pincher’s behaviour the PM regarded as unacceptable. In his resignation letter, the MP says only that he got drunk and embarrassed himself and others. But he is alleged to have made unwanted sexual advances, groping two young men in a private members’ club in London. “Of course the prime minister things that sort of behaviour is unacceptable and he would encourage those who wish to make a complaint to do so,” he said. Mr Johnson thinks it is “regrettable” that recent months have seen a string of MPs facing allegations of sexual misconduct, said the spokesperson.“He’s been clear that the vast majority of MPs behave with respect and decency,” said the spokesperson. “It is regrettable that we have seen recently that a small number of people have not met those expectations.“It’s in the interests of all political parties to work together and put that right and ensure that the culture in parliament is improved.” More

Britain’s government is dealing with another boozy scandal after the deputy chief whip resigned from his post following a drunken incident and Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced calls Friday to expel the lawmaker from the Conservative Party.Chris Pincher, whose role was to maintain discipline among Tory members of Parliament, submitted a letter of resignation to Johnson on Thursday.“I drank far too much” on Wednesday night, Pincher said in the letter. “I’ve embarrassed myself and other people, which is the last thing I want to do, and for that I apologize to you and to those concerned.”But he said he would remain as a Conservative lawmaker and continue to support Johnson from the back benches of Parliament. Johnson didn’t answer when journalists shouted questions to him outside his 10 Downing St. residence about whether he would suspend Pincher from the party.Pincher’s resignation as deputy chief whip added to the prime minister’s troubles. Johnson last month survived a no-confidence vote triggered by investigations into parties held in government buildings when coronavirus lockdowns prohibited group gatherings. A Conservative lawmaker also resigned for watching pornography on his phone in the House of Commons. After returning from this week’s Group of Seven and NATO summits, Johnson was looking to put those embarrassments – and his party’s defeat in two special parliamentary elections – behind him.Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden quit last week when the Tories lost two seats in byelections, saying the party “cannot carry on with business as usual.” But Johnson has remained defiant amid appeals for his own resignation and said he wouldn’t call an early election. The next general election must be called by 2024.British tabloid The Sun reported that Pincher groped two men Wednesday night at a private members club in London for the Conservative Party. London’s Metropolitan Police force said it hadn’t yet received any reports of assault at the event.It was the second time that Pincher, 52, quit a government whip job. In November 2017, he resigned as a junior whip after a complaint that he made an unwanted pass at former Olympic rower and Conservative candidate Alex Story.But Prime Minister Theresa May brought him back into a government position in 2018 by making him deputy chief whip. When Johnson took over in July 2019, Pincher was moved to the Foreign Office as a junior minister before returning to the whips’ office again.Britain’s opposition Labour Party said that Johnson’s government had questions to answer about why Pincher was put into the position in the first place.“This latest episode shows how far standards in public life have been degraded on Boris Johnson’s watch,” Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said. “The Conservative Party is so mired in sleaze and scandal that it is totally unable to tackle the challenges facing the British people.” More

Conservative MP David Warburton has revealed that an investigation has now begun into complaints which resulted in the Tory whip being withdrawn from him three months ago.The Somerton and Frome MP said he was “delighted” that the inquiry by Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme had finally got under way.He said that he did not receive official confirmation of the details of the allegations against him until two weeks ago – 10 weeks after the complaints first surfaced in the press.The Sunday Times reported on 3 April that two female former parliamentary assistants had made formal complaints to the ICGS about Mr Warburton’s behaviour, alleging unwanted sexual comments and sexual touching. There were also allegations of cocaine use.The MP, who denies any wrongdoing, was stripped of the Tory whip pending investigation and has since sat as an Independent in the Commons.In a post on his website, he said: “For the past 12 weeks I have faced accusations which I have – as yet – been unable to address due to the strict confidentiality terms which are explicitly required during any such investigation process.“Until two weeks ago, I had not even been officially informed what the accusations were or who had made them.“It has been immensely difficult not to speak out, but I have steadfastly adhered to the very strict rules of confidentiality and will continue to do so until the investigation concludes. Then, I will have much to say.  I must say that I’m delighted that – finally – the investigation is underway.”Mr Warburton is separately under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner over allegations of paid advocacy and failure to declare a gift or other benefit. More

A cabinet minister has suggested the Conservative Party deputy chief whip who resigned after he was said to have groped two men while drunk will lose the party whip later today.Chris Pincher dramatically quit his government job late last night following the alleged assault at a Conservative Party private members’ club, but remains a Tory MP .Labour, as well as other Conservative MPs, have demanded that he lose his party’s whip. Welsh secretary Simon Hart hinted that he agreed and suggested such a move could happen later today.“Let’s let today play out, let the chief whip do his duty today, and then I think we might be having a very different conversation as the day goes on,” he told Sky News. He said the sexual misconduct allegations made him “very sad” but it was important that due process was followed. But he also warned the resignation likely “won’t be the last” Westminster scandal, as he said the allegations against Mr Pincher must “absolutely not” be swept under the carpet.It is not the first time Mr Pincher has resigned as a whip.In 2017, he stood down after he was accused of making unwanted advances toward former Olympic rower and Tory activist Alex Story, nine years before becoming an MP.Mr Pincher said at the time: “I do not recognise either the events or the interpretation placed on them… if Mr Story has ever felt offended by anything I said then I can only apologise to him.”He was later cleared of breaching his party’s code of conduct over the allegations.Politico today reported that allegations about Mr Pincher were raised with Downing Street before Mr Pincher was appointed in the February reshuffle and that he had a “minder” to ensure he left events without becoming too drunk and getting into trouble.Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Boris Johnson has serious questions to answer about why Chris Pincher was given this role in the first place and how he can remain a Conservative MP.” One Tory MP told the Telegraph: “Pincher must lose the whip.” In his resignation letter to Boris Johnson, Mr Pincher said he had “embarrassed himself and other people” by drinking too much at the club, understood to be the Carlton Club, in London’s Piccadilly.The Tamworth MP wrote: “Last night I drank far too much.“I’ve embarrassed myself and other people which is the last thing I want to do and for that I apologise to you and to those concerned.“I think the right thing to do in the circumstances is for me to resign as Deputy Chief Whip. I owe it to you and the people I’ve caused upset to, to do this.“I want to assure you that you will continue to have my full support from the back benches, and I wish you all the best as you deal with aftershocks of Covid and the challenges of international inflation.“It has been the honour of my life to have served in Her Majesty’s Government.”A number of MPs, from various parties, have been accused of sexual misconduct in recent years, leading Westminster to become nicknamed ‘Pestminster’. More

The Tory party has been hit by a fresh scandal after its deputy chief whip resigned over an alleged groping incident. Chris Pincher quit his post on Thursday over a drunken incident the night before. Mr Pincher, who was responsible for maintaining discipline among Conservative MPs, said he had “embarrassed myself and other people” after having had “far too much” to drink.It is alleged he groped two fellow guests at the Carlton Club – a Tory Party private members’ club in London’s Piccadilly – on Wednesday evening.While he has stood down from his position as deputy chief whip, it is yet unclear whether he will remain in his position as MP for Tamworth. Mr Pincher said in his resignation letter to the prime minister he had “embarrassed” himself and leaving his government post was the “right thing to do in the circumstances”. More

Teachers’ leaders have immediately rejected a reported 9 per cent pay rise proposed for new starters as ministers try to head off a series of strikes across the UK.The increase, alongside a 5 per cent raise for more experienced staff, has reportedly been proposed by the education secretary Nadhim Zahawi in a letter to the chancellor Rishi Sunak.But Mary Bousted, the general secretary of the National Education Union, said it was “not enough, it is still a pay cut”, although she added that it would be “a start.”“If we don’t receive a very much better offer we will be looking to ballot our members in October,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. She warned that even under a ‘best case scenario’ that less than half of the new teachers the UK needs would start training this September.One in four new starts leaves the profession within two years, she added. Mr Zahawi has asked the chancellor to give teachers the pay rises in an attempt to head off off strike action later this year, The Daily Telegraph reports.There are 130,000 teachers in England in the first five years of their careers, who would be affected by the proposed 9 per cent rise.A raise of 5 per cent would be put forward for the remaining 380,000 teachers in England, instead of the government’s planned initial figure of 3 per cent figure.Ministers have confirmed that pensioners and welfare claimants are due to get raises of up to 10 per cent to keep pace with soaring inflation. More