Six new allegations of misconduct have come in over a decade following the suspension of Chris Pincher.
Six new allegations of misconduct have emerged against British MP Chris Pincher days after he was suspended from the Conservative Party over allegations that he molested two people.
The allegations go back more than a decade.
Pincher said he was seeking professional medical support and had no intention of resigning as an MP.
He did not respond to the BBC’s request for an interview, but denied the allegations against the British press.
Among the allegations reported by the Independent, Mail on Sunday and Sunday Times are three cases in which Pincher allegedly made unsolicited advances on male MPs, including in a Parliament bar and in his own parliamentary office.
No official complaints were made against him.
According to British media, one of the lawmakers contacted the prime minister’s office in February, giving details of what he had told her and voicing her concerns that Pincher would be a Conservative whip.
The whip is the parliamentarian responsible for ensuring that colleagues follow party guidelines, i.e. voting with the party.
The prime minister’s office said it was not aware of any specific allegations when Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Pincher as the whip assistant in February.
Work and Pensions Minister Therese Coffey told the BBC’s Sunday Morning program that “this morning she was “not aware of the specific allegations” before the prime minister made the appointment.
He added that he did not speak to the prime minister personally, but confirmed that someone in Johnson’s press office was unaware of the allegations against Pincher.
Speaking to Sky News earlier, Coffey said the appointment was “going through a normal review process”.
But the prime minister’s office did not deny Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings’ claim that the prime minister called Pincher “Pincher by name, pincher by nature” before naming Pincher.
The verb “pinch” in English means “pinch”. It is therefore believed that Cummings ironically alludes to Pincher’s alleged reputation for making undesirable advances against men.
Pincher, 52, resigned from his whip job on Thursday after allegedly harassing two people at London’s Conservative Party members’ club, the Carlton Club.
Shortly after the announcement, the prime minister’s office initially stated that Johnson thought the matter was closed.
However, Pincher was suspended from the Conservative Party on Friday 7/1 and will now continue as an independent (non-party) MP.
He said Wednesday night that he “drank too much”, “embarrassed myself and others, and I apologize for the inconvenience I have caused.”
“In addition to the stresses of the past few months, the tensions of the past few days have made me accept that I would benefit from professional medical support,” Pincher said in a statement. Said.
“I am currently pursuing that and hope to return to my election duties as soon as possible.”
Secretary Coffey said Johnson took “decisive steps” to suspend Pincher on Friday.
However, Labor’s Jonathan Reynolds, who opposes Boris Johnson’s government, told British broadcaster Sky that the Conservatives are motivated by “what is right is politically appropriate”.
Complaints against parliamentarians are examined by independent investigators who can advise on further measures. If they decide to suspend or expel Parliament, it must be voted on by their other colleagues.
This isn’t the first time Pincher has been involved in sexual harassment allegations. He had previously lost his whip in 2017 when he was accused of making an unwelcome move against former Olympic rower and conservation activist Alex Story.
But after a party investigation, Pincher was cleared of any violations of the code of conduct.
– This text was originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-62027994.
source: Noticias
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