Ex-Tory MP Chris Pincher facing Commons suspension for eight weeks over groping claims – opening prospect of another by-election

Published

2 years ago

July 6, 2023

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Chris Pincher MP is facing a suspension from the House of Commons for eight weeks after a report into groping claims against him.

Mr Pincher, who no longer sits as a Conservative, quit as deputy chief whip last summer after being accused of assaulting two guests at the exclusive Carlton Club in London.

The 53-year-old’s actions eventually led to the downfall of Boris Johnson, after it emerged the then prime minister was aware of an investigation into Mr Pincher’s conduct three years before, yet still appointed him to a role involving MPs’ welfare.

Politics live: Starmer to set out Labour’s fifth mission

The parliamentary watchdog launched its investigation in October, looking at whether Mr Pincher’s actions caused “significant damage to the reputation of the House” – a breach of the members’ code.

In its conclusions, released this morning, it said his conduct had been “completely inappropriate, profoundly damaging to the individuals concerned, and represented an abuse of power”.

And it said his actions would “significantly impact public perception of the House and its members”.

As a result, it recommended an eight week suspension, triggering a recall petition in Mr Pincher’s Tamworth constituency – if 10% of voters sign it, a by-election is called.

He would still be allowed to stand, but having announced he plans to step down at the next election anyway, it seems unlikely.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is already facing three by-elections on 20 July after Mr Johnson, Nigel Adams and David Warburton announced their resignations from parliament last month.

A fourth is also expected for former culture secretary Nadine Dorries’ seat, as she has promised to resign over the treatment of Mr Johnson by the Privileges Committee – which found the ex-PM had lied to parliament over partygate.

However, she hasn’t officially stepped down yet.

Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said Mr Pincher should “do the decent thing” and resign as an MP immediately, adding: “The people of Tamworth and the surrounding villages deserve more from their Parliamentary representative.”

The report from the Committee on Standards, following an investigation by parliament’s Commissioner for Standards, Daniel Greenberg, detailed the accusations levelled at Mr Pincher on the night of 29 June, when he was invited to speak at the Carlton Club for an event hosted by the Conservative Friends of Cyprus.

The first complainant said he had never met the MP before, but recognised him, as well as knowing some of his staff members.

At around midnight, Mr Pincher approached the House of Lords employee in the bar and grabbed his forearm, “holding it for longer than necessary, which made him feel uncomfortable, leading him to remove Mr Pincher’s arm”.

The report said the MP “went on to stroke his neck” and the complainant again removed his hand, but after a short interval, Mr Pincher returned and “squeezed the complainant’s bottom”.

It added: “The complainant describes the incident as having been traumatic and having impacted his wellbeing.”

A second complainant – a civil servant – said he was introduced to Mr Pincher, who then bought the group a round of drinks.

“Following a break in the conversation, Mr Pincher moved away from the group, then returned and touched the witness’s bottom before moving his hand to touch and squeeze the witness’s testicles, which lasted for a few seconds,” the report added.

“The witness told the Commissioner that this incident affected his health and wellbeing and caused him concern for his future work prospects.”

Two witnesses – both serving MPs – also spoke to the investigation, describing Mr Pincher as “smashed”, and said they had reported the incidents to the chief whip.

Mr Pincher told the investigation that he did not remember the events that took place that evening, but apologised to all parties involved.

He said: “I’m conscious of the effect the evening and the coverage must have had on all the parties involved, as well as on my own family. I’m very sorry and apologise to them all, as I did the day I resigned from the government.”

However, he claimed he had returned to the club after the event in a personal capacity and denied his behaviour had caused significant damage to the reputation of the House and its members.

And he also claimed there were “inconsistencies, anomalies and gaps in the evidence” which he argued “don’t present a complete picture”.

But the commissioner, Mr Greenberg, concluded Mr Pincher had breached paragraph 17 of the 2019 Code of Conduct for Members, adding: “The damage that has been caused to the reputation and integrity of the House and its embers cannot be described as trivial, unnoteworthy, or not important to address. The damage is significant.

“It involves behaviour that by any standards was shocking, deeply inappropriate, and adversely impacted two unsuspecting individuals who had no expectation that they would be subjected to such behaviour.

“Further, it was conduct that risks advancing a misplaced public perception that members of parliament do not have to abide by normal standards of behaviour and can commit acts of misconduct with impunity.”

The committee accepted his findings and recommended the eight week suspension.

Johnson’s downfall sparked by Pincher scandal

The day after the incidents occurred, Mr Pincher resigned from his post as deputy chief whip, but Mr Johnson resisted pressure from his own MPs to suspend him from the party, leading to accusations he wasn’t taking the matter seriously enough.

He eventually did remove the whip and apologised for his part in the scandal, and for the fact he knew about previous allegations around the MP’s behaviour before appointing him.

But within minutes, both Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid quit the cabinet, and a wave of ministers followed, with the government collapsing in their wake.

And within days, Mr Johnson reluctantly resigned from office.

Labour’s Ms Rayner used today’s findings to launch a wider attack on the Conservatives, saying: “Chris Pincher’s actions are shocking. But what’s even worse, is the way the Conservative party protected him – even promoting him despite a previous investigation into his conduct.

“The British people deserve so much better than 13 years of Tory chaos and sleaze.

“Rishi Sunak has been too weak to act against Chris Pincher because he’s too weak to lead a Conservative Party which is too divided to govern the country. And it is working people who are paying the price with a cost of living crisis.”

The Liberal Democrats’ chief whip, Wendy Chamberlain, also attacked the ruling party, saying: “Chris Pincher adds his name to the long list of disgraced former Conservatives caught up in sleaze and scandal.

“After missing so many vital votes in parliament [specifically the Privileges Committee vote on Mr Johnson], Rishi Sunak must finally show some backbone and confirm he will vote to suspend Chris Pincher.

“Sunak promised to govern with integrity, he must vote with it.”

World

Why Putin won’t agree to latest Ukraine peace plan

Published

7 hours ago

December 3, 2025

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Why Putin won't agree to latest Ukraine peace plan

The Americans were given the full VIP treatment on their visit to Moscow.

There was a motorcade from the airport, lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and even a stroll around Red Square.

It felt like Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were on more of a tourist trail than the path to peace.

They finally got down to business in the Kremlin more than six hours after arriving in Russia. And by that point, it was already clear that the one thing they had come to Moscow for wasn’t on offer: Russia’s agreement to their latest peace plan.

According to Vladimir Putin, it’s all Europe’s fault. While his guests were having lunch, he was busy accusing Ukraine’s allies of blocking the peace process by imposing demands that are unacceptable to Russia.

The Europeans, of course, would say it’s the other way round.

But where there was hostility to Europe, only hospitality to the Americans – part of Russia’s strategy to distance the US from its NATO allies, and bring them back to Moscow’s side.

Putin thinks he’s winning…

Russia wants to return to the 28-point plan that caved in to its demands. And it believes it has the right to because of what’s happening on the battlefield.

It’s no coincidence that on the eve of the US delegation’s visit to Moscow, Russia announced the apparent capture of Pokrovsk, a key strategic target in the Donetsk region.

It was a message designed to assert Russian dominance, and by extension, reinforce its demands rather than dilute them.

…and believes US-Russian interests are aligned

The other reason I think Vladimir Putin doesn’t feel the need to compromise is because he believes Moscow and Washington want the same thing: closer US-Russia relations, which can only come after the war is over.

It’s easy to see why. Time and again in this process, the US has defaulted to a position that favours Moscow. The way these negotiations are being conducted is merely the latest example.

With Kyiv, the Americans force the Ukrainians to come to them – first in Geneva, then Florida.

As for Moscow, it’s the other way around. Witkoff is happy to make the long overnight journey, and then endure the long wait ahead of any audience with Putin.

It all gives the impression that when it comes to Russia, the US prefers to placate rather than pressure.

According to the Kremlin, both Russia and the US have agreed not to disclose the details of yesterday’s talks in Moscow.

I doubt Volodymyr Zelenskyy is filled with hope.

World

FIFA backs away from dynamic pricing for all World Cup 2026 tickets

Published

10 hours ago

December 3, 2025

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FIFA backs away from dynamic pricing for all World Cup 2026 tickets

FIFA has backed away from using dynamic pricing for all 2026 World Cup tickets amid concerns about the cost of attending the tournament in North America.

The organisers insisted they always planned to ring-fence tickets at set prices to follow your own team.

But the announcement comes just days ahead of Friday’s tournament draw in Washington DC, which Donald Trump plans to attend.

Fans will have to wait until Saturday to know exactly where and when their teams will be playing in next summer’s tournament.

Variable pricing – fluctuating based on demand – has never been used at a World Cup before, raising concerns about affordability.

England and Scotland fans have been sharing images in recent days of ticket website images highlighting cost worries.

But world football’s governing body said in a statement to Sky News: “FIFA can confirm ringfenced allocations are being set aside for specific fan categories, as has been the case at previous FIFA World Cups. These allocations will be set at a fixed price for the duration of the next ticket sales phase.

“The ringfenced allocations include tickets reserved for supporters of the Participating Member Associations (PMAs), who will be allocated 8% of the tickets for each match in which they take part, including all conditional knockout stage matches.”

FIFA says the cheapest tickets are from $60 (£45) in the group stage. But the most expensive tickets for the final are $6,730 (£5,094).

There will also be a sales window after the draw from 11 December to 13 January when ticket applications will be based on a fixed price for those buying in the random selection draw.

It is the biggest World Cup with 104 matches after the event was expanded from 32 to 48 teams. There are also three host nations for the first time – with Canada and Mexico the junior partners.

FIFA defended using fluctuating pricing.

“The pricing model adopted for FIFA World Cup 26 reflects the existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events within our hosts on a daily basis, soccer included,” FIFA’s statement continued.

“This is also a reflection of the treatment of the secondary market for tickets, which has a distinct legal treatment than in many other parts of the world. We are focused on ensuring fair access to our game for existing but also prospective fans.”

The statement addressed the concerns being raised about fans being priced out of attending.

FIFA said: “Stadium category maps do not reflect the number of tickets available in a given category but rather present default seating locations.

“FIFA resale fees are aligned with North American industry trends across various sports and entertainment sectors.”

Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales could also still qualify.

World

Why Putin won’t agree to latest Ukraine peace plan

Published

10 hours ago

December 3, 2025

admin

The Americans were given the full VIP treatment on their visit to Moscow.

There was a motorcade from the airport, lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and even a stroll around Red Square.

It felt like Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were on more of a tourist trail than the path to peace.

The Europeans, of course, would say it’s the other way round.

But where there was hostility to Europe, only hospitality to the Americans – part of Russia’s strategy to distance the US from its NATO allies, and bring them back to Moscow’s side.

Putin thinks he’s winning…

Russia wants to return to the 28-point plan that caved in to its demands. And it believes it has the right to because of what’s happening on the battlefield.

It’s no coincidence that on the eve of the US delegation’s visit to Moscow, Russia announced the apparent capture of Pokrovsk, a key strategic target in the Donetsk region.

It was a message designed to assert Russian dominance, and by extension, reinforce its demands rather than dilute them.

…and believes US-Russian interests are aligned

It’s easy to see why. Time and again in this process, the US has defaulted to a position that favours Moscow. The way these negotiations are being conducted is merely the latest example.

With Kyiv, the Americans force the Ukrainians to come to them – first in Geneva, then Florida.

As for Moscow, it’s the other way around. Witkoff is happy to make the long overnight journey, and then endure the long wait ahead of any audience with Putin.