Boris Johnson not aware of 'specific' allegations against Chris Pincher before appointment, Downing Street says

Mr Pincher dramatically resigned last night with a letter in which he admitted having had “far too much” to drink amid allegations he groped two men.

Yesterday was the second time Mr Pincher quit the whips office, having resigned as a junior whip in November 2017 following a complaint that he made an unwanted pass at the former Olympic rower and Conservative candidate Alex Story.

The Prime Minister’s deputy spokesman said today: “The Prime Minister was not aware of any allegation before the appointment was made."

However, the spokesman later said he had mis-spoken, and said the PM was not aware of any “specific allegation”.

“In the absence of any formal complaint it was not appropriate to stop the appointment on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations,” he added.

Mr Johnson is coming under increasing pressure to remove Mr Pincher from the party, in the latest of a string of scandals this year involving Conservative MPs.

Two senior female have written to the chief whip suggesting Mr Pincher should have the whip removed.

Caroline Nokes and Karen Bradley call for a “zero tolerance policy” on sexual misconduct following an “inconsistent and unclear approach” by the Tory party to such incidents in their letter to Chris Heaton Harris.

The letter said: “The party and, by extension, the Government are at risk of serious reputational damage by the current approach. We urge you to act swiftly to introduce a code of conduct for all Conservative members of Parliament which is 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 we ask that you employ a policy of zero tolerance on these issues and to ensure a thorough investigation is carried out in each and every case. Once an investigation has been completed, a decision should be taken about returning the whip, but in the meantime anyone subject to such an investigation should not be allowed to sit as a Conservative MP and represent the party in any capacity.

“We understand the need for discretion where an allegation is being investigated by the police but would ask that you properly police your request for those involved in such investigations to stay away from Parliament, including not using their proxy votes in party votes.”

Welsh Secretary Simon Hart was this morning unable to confirm whether the alleged assault was being formally investigated, as Labour demanded Mr Pincher have the whip suspended.

Mr Hart said it was “early days yet” and that from the perspective of the alleged victims, it could be “counter-productive” to rush any probe.

He said Conservative chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris would be having “conversations” throughout the day and that “we might be having a very different conversation as the day goes on”.

The Cabinet minister told Sky News: “This makes me very sad, it makes me sad for everybody who’s been involved in these things. It’s clearly something which has gone terribly wrong.

“There is a process, I think it’s important that the process is followed.”