Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, has lost one his closest deputies due to a new incident involving harassment or sexual misconduct. This shakes his government as well as his Conservative Party. Chris Pincher, a 52 year-old bachelor, was suspended from the parliamentary committee while investigations are conducted into claims that he attempted to grope two of his colleagues at a club night at Club Carlton. Club Carlton is an elite St James neighborhood society, founded in 1921. It serves as a platform for Tories to meet and make contacts. This is his fifth case of misconduct against a Conservative lawmaker this year.
Pincher, who was in the top position at the parliamentary discipline officer, resigned the previous night. Johnson still had his confidence up until Friday afternoon. Downing Street wanted the incident to be closed without causing more casualties on its benches because of another scandal of the “sexual plague” policy. Johnson’s popularity is still low due to illegal parties during the coronavirus epidemic. Last week, the electorate boycotted Tory candidates at two partial elections. This was precisely because of the resignation of a deputy from the House of Commons who watched porn from his seat in Parliament and another colleague on the bench who is currently serving a sentence for molestation of a minor less than 15 years of age.
Johnson finally gave in to pressure and approved the suspension of the deputy head of the ‘whips, who were responsible for disciplining the Commons up to yesterday. Pincher sent a resignation letter to Johnson, which was made public after the revelations of sexual harassment. tabloid ‘The Sun.
This is the second resignation of the degraded deputy due to his sexual behavior. Alex Story, a Tory activist who was also an Olympic rower, had accused him of emotional blackmail and sensual advancement. Although the allegation was dismissed, suspicions of Pincher’s alleged tendency to act out-of-control with other men in Westminster were never addressed. This Friday, the Political platform stated that Pincher was aware that Downing Street had made the allegations about him before he was given the crucial role of deputy to the conservative parliamentary group.
Johnson’s inability to sanction his loyal collaborator has been criticized by the opposition. Since 2012 when he was elected mayor of London, Pincher has supported his political career. This year, he led the “save Boris” campaign, which succeeded at least so far in keeping the prime minster in Downing Street during this ongoing tide of the ‘partygate.