Chris Pincher appealing against eight-week Commons suspension

Published

1 year ago

July 20, 2023

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Former Tory MP Chris Pincher is appealing an eight-week suspension – which was recommended after an investigation into groping claims made against him.

A letter from the Independent Expert Panel – which handles appeals against such rulings – confirmed his decision on Thursday night, hours before the deadline.

The allegations surfaced last summer when the then deputy chief whip was accused of assaulting two guests at the exclusive Carlton Club in London.

He resigned from his post and was later suspended by the Conservative Party.

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

The Commons Standards Committee published its conclusions earlier this month, saying the MP’s conduct had been “completely inappropriate, profoundly damaging to the individuals concerned, and represented an abuse of power”, and that his actions would “significantly impact public perception of the House and its members”.

It recommended the eight-week suspension, which would likely trigger a by-election in his constituency of Tamworth, and Mr Pincher – who now sits as an independent – had until Thursday to launch an appeal.

In his response to the investigation, Mr Pincher said: “I apologise sincerely again for my behaviour at the Carlton Club last year, as I did the day I resigned from the government.

“I have sought professional medical help, which is ongoing and has been beneficial to me, for which I am grateful.

“I am truly grateful for the kindness that I have received from my constituents, family and friends.”

Watchdog’s findings

The watchdog gave details of the allegations against the MP in its report, with a House of Lords employee saying Mr Pincher had stroked his neck and squeezed his bottom.

The second complainant – a civil service – said he touched his bottom before moving his hand to touch and squeeze his testicles.

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

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 standards commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, called his behaviour “shocking” and “deeply inappropriate”, and concluded Mr Pincher had breached paragraph 17 of the 2019 Code of Conduct for Members.

The Commons will have to agree any suspension before it takes place, but that will now be delayed while the appeal is heard and while MPs are on their summer recess.

Politics

NY Supreme Court allows Greenidge to keep mining, but challenges remain

Published

58 mins ago

November 15, 2024

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NY Supreme Court allows Greenidge to keep mining, but challenges remain

The state Department of Environmental Conservation botched the permitting process, but it still gets a do-over.

Politics

UK economy grows by 0.1% between July and September – slower than expected

Published

58 mins ago

November 15, 2024

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UK economy grows by 0.1% between July and September - slower than expected

The UK economy grew by 0.1% between July and September, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

However, despite the small positive GDP growth recorded in the third quarter, the economy shrank by 0.1% in September, dragging down overall growth for the three month period.

The growth was also slower than what had been expected by experts and a drop from the 0.5% growth between April and June, the ONS said.

Economists polled by Reuters and the Bank of England had forecast an expansion of 0.2%, slowing from the rapid growth seen over the first half of 2024 when the economy was rebounding from last year’s shallow recession.

And the metric that Labour has said it is most focused on – the GDP per capita, or the economic output divided by the number of people in the country – also fell by 0.1%.

Reacting to the figures, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: “Am I satisfied with the numbers published today? Of course not. I want growth to be stronger, to come sooner, and also to be felt by families right across the country.”

“It’s why in my Mansion House speech last night, I announced some of the biggest reforms of our pension system in a generation to unlock long term patient capital, up to £80bn to help invest in small businesses and scale up businesses and in the infrastructure needs,” Ms Reeves later told Sky News in an interview.

“We’re four months into this government. There’s a lot more to do to turn around the growth performance of the last decade or so.”

New economy data tests chancellor’s growth plan

The sluggish services sector – which makes up the bulk of the British economy – was a particular drag on growth over the past three months. It expanded by 0.1%, cancelling out the 0.8% growth in the construction sector.

The UK’s GDP for the most recent quarter is lower than the 0.7% growth in the US and 0.4% in the Eurozone.

The figures have pushed the UK towards the bottom of the G7 growth table for the third quarter of the year.

It was expected to meet the same 0.2% growth figures reported in Germany and Japan – but fell below that after a slow September.

The pound remained stable following the news, hovering around $1.267. The FTSE 100, meanwhile, opened the day down by 0.4%.

The Bank of England last week predicted that Ms Reeves’s first budget as chancellor will increase inflation by up to half a percentage point over the next two years, contributing to a slower decline in interest rates than previously thought.

Announcing a widely anticipated 0.25 percentage point cut in the base rate to 4.75%, the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) forecast that inflation will return “sustainably” to its target of 2% in the first half of 2027, a year later than at its last meeting.

The Bank’s quarterly report found Ms Reeves’s £70bn package of tax and borrowing measures will place upward pressure on prices, as well as delivering a three-quarter point increase to GDP next year.