After an investigation determined that he touched two men in a London bar last year, MP Chris Pincher faces an eight-week suspension from the Commons. His “completely inappropriate” behavior was deemed an “abuse of power” by Parliament’s standards committee. The entire House of Commons must approve the recommended sanction. This would result in a recall petition in his Tamworth constituency, which might lead to a by-election. Mr. Pincher said in a statement that he wanted to “reflect” on the report’s findings but did not want to speak further “at this time.” He stated that he wanted to “sincerely apologize” for his actions and that he has sought professional medical care, which is “ongoing.”
To retake his Tamworth seat in Staffordshire, where he had a 19,000 majority at the previous election, Labour would require a swing of just over 21%.Mr. Pincher has already announced his intention to resign as an MP in the upcoming general election.
Labor deputy leader Angela Rayner called the article “shocking” and suggested that Mr. Pincher “do the decent thing and resign as an MP.” Daniel Greenberg, Parliament’s standards commissioner, investigated the event at the Carlton Club, a private members’ club in central London. It happened in June of last year, following a speech by Mr. Pincher, the government’s deputy chief whip at the time.
Heavily intoxicated
Following a year-long investigation, commissioner Daniel Greenberg discovered that the MP had touched a House of Lords employee on his arm and neck before grabbing his buttocks. He also found that he held a government servant’s bottom before groping his testicles. Mr. Pincher was “heavily intoxicated” at the time and recalled “feeling hot and saying to someone ‘I’m alright,'” according to the commissioner. However, he “does not recall any other details about the evening or how he got home,” according to Mr Greenberg. Following the inquiry, MPs on the cross-party standards committee, which investigates complaints against MPs, decided his “profoundly damaging” behavior “represented an abuse of power” in the report.
They further claimed that his actions had violated the Commons’ rule of conduct by causing severe harm to Parliament’s reputation. According to their assessment, Mr. Pincher admitted in a written response that his behavior “harmed his reputation and that of the government.” Mr. Pincher, on the other hand, denied the allegation that he had done significant damage to Parliament’s reputation, stating that he was speaking at the club as a former minister rather than an MP.
Mr. Pincher can appeal to an independent expert panel if he has fresh evidence or can demonstrate a procedural error. If MPs back the eight-week ban in a Commons vote, it will trigger a recall petition procedure, resulting in a by-election in his Tamworth seat if 10% of registered voters sign a petition calling for one.
Johnson resignation
After the allegations surfaced last year, Mr. Pincher was elected as a Conservative MP but was barred from representing the party in Parliament. Mr. Pincher apologized for “drinking far too much” and embarrassed “himself and other people” after allegations of his behavior at the club.
Boris Johnson’s handling of the allegations led to his government’s demise, as a wave of ministers resigned. Following the claims, ministers argued that the previous prime minister was unaware of specific allegations against Mr. Pincher when he promoted him to deputy chief whip. According to the BBC, Mr. Johnson was made aware of a formal complaint about Mr. Pincher’s “inappropriate behavior” while he was a Foreign Office minister in 2019-20. Dozens of ministers resigned after the incident, pushing Mr. Johnson, who was already under pressure due to the Partygate affair, to quit as prime minister.
