Chris Pincher has Conservative whip suspended following groping allegations

The Prime Minister had been under pressure to strip the whip from Tamworth MP Mr Pincher after he resigned as Deputy Chief Whip on Thursday evening after admitting drinking "far too much".

A complaint has now been made to Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, it was revealed this afternoon.

A spokeswoman for Conservative chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris said: “Having heard that a formal complaint has been made to the ICGS, the PM has agreed with the Chief Whip that the whip should be suspended from Chris Pincher while the investigation is ongoing.

“We will not pre-judge that investigation. We urge colleagues and the media to respect that process.”

Earlier on Friday two senior female Tories had written to the Chief Whip to call for a “zero tolerance policy” on sexual misconduct following an “inconsistent and unclear approach” by the party to such incidents.

Karen Bradley and Caroline Nokes 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."

The Prime Minister was said to have been waiting for a formal investigation to begin before suspending the whip, as opposition parties said Mr Pincher’s position as an MP was untenable.

Downing Street appeared to acknowledge that there had been concerns when he was appointed to the key post of deputy chief whip, with responsibility for discipline over Tory MPs, in February.

However a No 10 spokesman said the Prime Minister had not been made aware of anything that would have prevented the appointment going ahead.

“In the absence of any formal complaints, it was not appropriate to stop an appointment on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations,” the spokesman said.

Downing Street confirmed there had been an exchange of messages between Mr Johnson and Mr Pincher on Thursday evening but declined to say whether it was before or after Mr Pincher submitted his resignation.

A No 10 spokesman said: “The Prime Minister thinks it was right for him to have resigned and he has accepted his resignation.

“He believes that the behaviour was unacceptable, which is why he’s accepted the resignation.”

Mr Johnson was under pressure to explain why he gave Mr Pincher such a sensitive post amid reports that he had been advised not to do so.