Sacked government trade minister Conor Burns has denied ever meeting Mel B after the singer suggested he made an inappropriate remark to her in a lift.
Mr Burns was removed from his ministerial role “with immediate effect”on Friday following an allegation of serious misconduct.
The Tory MP for Bournemouth West has also had the whip suspended while the complaint is investigated.
The 50-year-old later posted a series of tweets where he wrote: “I will fully co-operate with the party’s enquiry and look forward to clearing my name.
“I hope the party will be as quick to conduct their enquiry as they were to rush to judgement.”
Mel B, an ex-Spice Girl whose full name is Melanie Brown, then retweeted his thread and wrote: “Really?? Your shocked about this complaint??? Let me remind you what you said me in lift…..”
More on Melanie Brown
Related Topics:
The pop star hasn’t elaborated on what Mr Burns is alleged to have said.
The suspended MP told the Press Association on Saturday that he doesn’t recall having ever met the singer.
Advertisement
He said: “I believe I have never met Mel.”
The Conservative Party is understood to be looking into allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Mr Burns at the annual Tory conference between last Sunday to Wednesday.
Mel B, sometimes known as Scary Spice, attended the conference to speak about domestic abuse at a fringe event hosted by The Sun and Women’s Aid.
There is no suggestion the allegation against Mr Burns is linked to the Spice Girl.
The sacked trade minister told journalists on Saturday the Conservative Party still hasn’t told him the details of the allegation.
He told journalists: “All I can say is that as someone who is committed to public service, to the service of my constituents, the last 24 hours have been distressing and devastating.
“I’ve still not had any information from the party as of the nature of the complaint. I say, as I have said in my statement, that I will co-operate fully with the party when they engage with me.
“I look forward to clearing my name”.
Prime Minister Liz Truss sacked Mr Burns from his post in the Department for International Trade on Friday following the complaint, as No 10 insisted “high standards of behaviour” must be maintained.
A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.
Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.
Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.
Image: The fire gutted the main stage
Image: Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control
The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.
It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.
Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.
Image: Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky
The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.
More on Belgium
Related Topics:
The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.
Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.
“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”
Image: Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’
Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.
An American Idol TV executive and her husband have been found dead in their LA home.
Robin Kaye was a music supervisor on the long-running reality TV series.
The bodies of the 70-year-old and her husband Thomas were discovered after officers conducted a welfare check at their home.
Both had died from gunshot wounds.
Image: Robin Kaye and her husband Thomas. Pic: Facebook
Detectives say Raymond Boodarian has been arrested in connection with their deaths.
It is alleged the 22-year-old had burgled their property while they were away on 10 July – killing the couple upon their return.
According to Los Angeles Police, there were “no signs of forced entry or trouble” at the property.
More from US
Ms Kaye was an industry veteran – and had previously worked on shows including Lip Sync Battle and The Singing Bee, as well as several Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
In a statement, an American Idol spokesperson said: “Robin has been a cornerstone of the Idol family since 2009 and was truly loved and respected by all who came in contact with her.
“Robin will remain in our hearts forever and we share our deepest sympathy with her family and friends during this difficult time.”
Huge steel fences have been erected to prevent ticketless fans from watching the Oasis reunion tour in Manchester.
Liam and Noel Gallagher will resume their sold-out run of shows – their first since 2009 – with a performance at Heaton Park tonight, and two more on Saturday and Sunday.
While tens of thousands bought tickets for Oasis’sfirst two shows last weekend, crowds gathered to glimpse the large screens above the stage in the distance – in an area dubbed “Gallagher Hill” by some on social media.
Image: People walk past a temporary security fence erected ahead of concerts by Oasis in Heaton Park on 1 July. Reuters file pic
Manchester City Council has now said more steel fences have been erected around parts of the park to prevent ticketless fans from watching the gigs, and to protect nature in the park.
“After taking stock of how the first two nights went, additional measures have now been deemed necessary and will be in place for the next three concerts,” it said.
“The erection of the fencing has a dual purpose – both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there.
“The necessary measure means the concert will no longer be visible from this area.”
More on Manchester
Related Topics:
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:23
Friday: Excited fans at Oasis homecoming gig
The fences will cover a large area of the hill within the park’s cattle field, which is being developed as a new woodland area with around 300 young trees planted.
The council added that there would be no facilities for people without a ticket, and said the event area is “double-walled with solid high security fencing all the way round”.
More than 2,000 event security staff and police officers will also be on duty around the site “to ensure both the safety and wellbeing of ticket-holders and that only those who have tickets access the concert”, it said.
John Hacking, the council’s executive member for employment, skills and leisure, also said in a statement that “unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place”.
He added: “Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead.
“The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time.
“We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy, whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”