By PM to ‘keep going’ following resignations and a growing Tory revolt
Boris Johnson has continued to insist he will stay in office, following more resignations and a growing Tory revolt against his leadership.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, he said he had a “colossal mandate” from the 2019 election and would “keep going”.
So far, 16 Tories have quit government or party positions, with other backbenchers withdrawing their support for the Prime Minister. This includes the shock resignations of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid.
Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer said those staying in post were “nodding dogs” who were “defending the indefensible”.
A former senior civil servant in the Foreign Office has said No10 had not told the truth regarding the PM being unaware of allegations brought against disgraced MP Chris Pincher.
Simon McDonald said Boris Johnson had been “briefed in person” about an investigation into Mr. Pincher. The foreign secretary at the time, and now justice secretary, Dominic Raab, said everything had been “done by the book”. He told BBC News it was “news to me”, and he did not think it was “factually accurate” that the PM had been briefed.
Mr. Pincher, the MP for Tamworth, was suspended as a Conservative Party MP last week over allegations he groped two men at the Carlton Club, a private members’ club in London.
On Monday, Downing Street said Mr. Johnson was not aware of any specific allegations against Mr. Pincher when he appointed him deputy chief whip in February. Later that day, BBC News revealed that the prime minister had been aware of a formal complaint about the MP.
Lord McDonald has disputed No 10’s version of events in a letter submitted to parliament. Lord McDonald, who was the Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant from 2015 to 2020, said that in the summer of 2019, a group of officials had “complained to me about Mr. Pincher’s behaviour”.
“In substance, the allegations were similar to those made about his behaviour at the Carlton Club.”
He said following an investigation that: “Mr. Pincher apologised and promised not to repeat the inappropriate behaviour.”
“Mr. Johnson was briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of the investigation,” he added.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr. Raab said: “I have discussed this with the prime minister over the last 24 hours, it is not my understanding that he was directly briefed.”
“About the 2019 allegation or complaint, whilst there was inappropriate behaviour, it didn’t trip the wire into disciplinary action,” he said.
He said he informed the chief whip, who at the time was Mark Spencer, about the investigation, but not the prime minister. When asked if anyone else had informed Mr. Johnson, Mr. Rabb said “that is news to me” adding that “It is not clear to me that was factually accurate.”
Lord McDonald defended his statement saying: “I know that the senior official briefed the prime minister in person because that official told me that at the time.
“Such complaints about ministers are very rare, very sensitive, they are dealt with at the very top level and so I had the help and support of the Cabinet Office throughout the investigation.”
He said Downing Street needed to “come clean” adding: “No 10 have had five full days to get the story correct and that has still not happened.”
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “It is now clear that the prime minister knew about the seriousness of these complaints but decided to promote this man to a senior position in government anyway. He refused to act and then lied about what he knew.”
The Liberal Democrats deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Lord McDonald has shone a new light on this murky cover-up. Boris Johnson needs to own up to his web of lies and finally come clean today.”
