Tory MP Chris Pincher drunkenly groped my groin in a bar, claims alleged victim
ONE of the two men said to have been drunkenly groped by former Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher last night spoke of his fury over the alleged assault.
The man, in his 20s, has accused Pincher of grabbing his buttock then moving his hand on to his groin after the MP bought drinks in a bar.
He revealed that Tory whip Sarah Dines had witnessed the alleged attack at the members-only Carlton Club, the original home of the Tory party in St James’s, central London.
Fellow Conservative Mark Fletcher then threw Pincher, 52, out of the venue after seeing him staggering around the room, it was claimed.
Pincher quit his government post on Thursday just hours after the alleged incident before Boris Johnson moved to suspend the whip on Friday pending a probe.
His alleged victim, speaking anonymously, said: “I had my drink in my hand and then he went down and grabbed my arse and then slowly . . . moved his hand down the front of my groin.
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“I froze a little bit and it ended after about two or three seconds.”
He said Dines, who he claims witnessed the supposed incident, then asked him if he was gay.
The man told The Sunday Times: “I was a bit taken aback by that and said, ‘What’s that got to do with it? But yes, I am’. And her words were, ‘Well, that doesn’t make it straightforward’. She saw everything, which is why I am so angry.”
He added: “I said that might have happened in the 1970s and 1980s but it’s not OK now. She [Dines] agreed and said she had sons and this is why she would never let them work in Parliament.”
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The man has demanded that Chief Whip Chris Heaton-Harris look into his complaint.
Pincher, meanwhile, denied the allegations last night or any suggestion that he acted inappropriately.
It comes as two Tory MPs claimed Pincher, the MP for Tamworth, Staffs, since 2010, made unwanted passes at them in 2017 and 2018. He is now sitting as an independent MP and is facing pressure to stand down.
STAYING AWAY
CHRIS Pincher will not be seen in the Commons for the foreseeable future, it has emerged.
CHRIS Pincher will not be seen in the Commons for the foreseeable future, it has emerged.
Speaker Lindsay Hoyle received assurances the MP, who quit as Tory deputy chief whip, will not appear in Parliament buildings.
Unions previously called for all MPs accused of sexual misconduct to be excluded from Westminster while probes continue. They want Commons working practices examined so they can toughen up the current voluntary ban for MPs under investigation.
The Prospect union wrote to Procedure Committee chairwoman Karen Bradley demanding Parliament is brought “into the 21st century as an employer”.
Pincher had resigned as a whip in 2017 after being accused of making a pass at Olympic rower Alex Story. He referred the incident to cops and was cleared in a Tory probe.
He also once allegedly put his hand on the knee of a young Tory activist and told him he would “go far in the party”. He denied it.
It has also emerged that the PM referred to him as “Pincher by name, pincher by nature”.
No10 insisted Mr Johnson was “not aware” of specific allegations before he appointed Pincher, but his ex-chief aide, Dominic Cummings, said the PM was “lying again”.
Mr Johnson acted to suspend the whip after a formal complaint was lodged and following talks with witnesses at the Carlton Club.
He was said to have found the account “sufficiently disturbing”, leaving him feeling “more troubled”.
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It emerged last night that Pincher was seeking “professional medical support” and had vowed to cooperate with the inquiry into the allegations.
He said he had been facing “stresses” in recent days and accepted that he would benefit from help. He is the fifth Tory MP to be suspended, expelled or told to stay away from Parliament in the past six months.
DELAY ‘UNFAIR’
DOWNING Street was accused of “double standards” over its delay in withdrawing the whip from Chris Pincher compared with tractor porn ex-MP Neil Parish.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said the past days had been “bad” for those who “wish to maintain confidence in the Prime Minister”.
Parish has previously said that the “first thing” ministers did to him was withdraw the whip. Rebel MP Mr Bridgen told the BBC: “Neil was a very independent-minded backbencher. He never really sought patronage.
“Chris Pincher is seen as an arch loyalist and I think that, to most people, will be the reason for the difference in treatment.”