Oliver Dowden insists he did not cover up sex attack allegations as party chairman
OLIVER Dowden insisted he did not cover up sex attack allegations when he was party chairman.
The Deputy PM spoke out after a bombshell letter by one of his successors.
The letter to police investigators claimed that only limited action had been taken against a serial rapist MP — despite numerous allegations.
Mr Dowden said: “Any allegation of sexual misconduct I take extremely seriously.
“The Conservative Party has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct. We have an independent complaints mechanism that investigates any allegations.”
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis said if there had been a cover up of rape claims it would be a “criminal offence in its own right”.
When asked by Sky News if the issue had been brushed aside, Mr Dowden said: “I can assure you categorically it was not the case that when I was chairman of the party that I covered up any allegations.”
Ex-party chairman Sir Jake Berry uncovered the allegations when he found out one of the assault victims received treatment at a private hospital paid out of party coffers.
His letter to the police, written jointly with ex-Chief Whip Wendy Morton, claimed up to five victims were subjected to offences including multiple rapes.
It also stated that limited action allowed the alleged perpetrator to carry on offending.
When asked about hospital payments, Mr Dowden said: “It’s not something that I authorised.”