Christopher John Pincher[1] (born 24 September 1969)[2] is a British former politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamworth from 2010 until his resignation in 2023.[3]
After allegedly groping two men while he was drunk, Pincher resigned as Deputy Chief Whip on 30 June 2022, and had the Conservative whip removed.[7] This triggered a scandal over his appointment to the role, as Johnson knew about the allegations but did not dismiss him, leading to a government crisis that ultimately resulted in Johnson's resignation. Pincher continued to sit as an MP for another year, but did not make any further contributions in the House of Commons.
Pincher announced in April 2023 that he would stand down at the next UK general election.[8] In its investigation of his conduct, the Commons Select Committee on Standards censured Pincher in a report published on 6 July 2023, labelling his actions profoundly damaging both to the reputation of Parliament and his victims, and an abuse of power. The committee recommended Pincher be suspended from Parliament for eight weeks.[9] On 7 September 2023, he announced his imminent resignation as an MP, which triggered the 2023 Tamworth by-election.[3]
Pincher was a member of Iain Duncan Smith's successful campaign for the party leadership in 2001.[14][dead link] He failed to be elected in 2005 when he first stood for Tamworth, gaining a 2.8% swing from Labour. Although Brian Jenkins retained the seat, Pincher said he had won the arguments, after campaigning for more police and school discipline.[10]
While a candidate, he campaigned against the decision to close Queen Elizabeth's Mercian School,[15] which had been earmarked for closure under Building Schools for the Future, and called the 2009 decision to keep the school open a "victory for people power".[16] He also successfully put pressure on Persimmon to resume and complete construction of the half-built Tame Alloys Estate in Wilnecote.[17]
Member of Parliament
Pincher was re-selected to contest Tamworth for the 2010 election, gaining the seat on a 9.5% swing, taking him to 45.8% of the vote and a majority of 6,090 or 13.1%, over Brian Jenkins.[4] Pincher made his Maiden Speech in the Commons in June 2010[18] In his first 10 months as an MP, Pincher had the second-highest House of Commons attendance rate of the West Midlands' 57 MPs, after James Morris.[19] In his first year, he spoke in 94 debates; top amongst Staffordshire's 11 MPs.[20]
Pincher campaigned against the building of High Speed 2,[22] which is planned to run past the outskirts of Tamworth.[23] He has defended residents from accusations they were "Nimbies" and has called the HS2 business case 'significantly flawed'.[24] In December 2010, he said any route via Mile Oak or Hopwas was "just not acceptable".[25] Soon after, the route via Hopwas Ridge was rejected, a move welcomed by Pincher and campaigners.[26]
In 2013, he organised a campaign to get local people to knit "beanie hats" for soldiers of the 3rd Battalion (The Staffords) of the Mercian Regiment, for their pending deployment to Afghanistan.[31] In the same year he helped organise the Tamworth Support our Soldiers (TamworthSOS) campaign,[32] which saw welfare boxes sent to the soldiers in time for Christmas 2014.
In the 2015 general election, Pincher was re-elected with an increased majority of 11,302, polling 23,606 votes, 50.04% of the votes cast and a further 4.3% swing from Labour.[33]
On 5 November 2017, Pincher resigned as Comptroller of the Household (Assistant Whip) and voluntarily referred himself to the Conservative Party's complaints procedure and the police, as part of the 2017 Westminster sexual misconduct allegations. He was accused of sexual assault by former Olympic rower and Conservative candidate Alex Story.[38]
In 2017, Story alleged that he had been the subject of unwanted sexual advances from Pincher in 2001, when the MP invited Story to his flat, where Pincher massaged his neck and talked about his "future in the Conservative Party", before changing into a bathrobe. Recounting the episode, Story said that Pincher's advances had made him seem like a "pound shopHarvey Weinstein".[a][39] Pincher said that "I do not recognise either the events or the interpretation placed on them" and that "if Mr Story has ever felt offended by anything I said then I can only apologise to him".[39] Pincher was also accused of "touching up" former Labour MP Tom Blenkinsop, who told him to "fuck off".[38] On 23 December 2017, the Conservative Party's investigating panel determined that Pincher had not breached the code of conduct.[40]
Pincher resigned as a Government deputy chief whip on 30 June 2022, after he admitted he had "drunk far too much" the night before at the Carlton Club, a private members' club in St James's, London, and having "embarrassed [himself] and other people".[41] It was alleged that he had groped two men.[42] He was suspended as a Conservative MP[43] but remained in Parliament as an independent.[44][45]
On 3 July 2022, six new allegations against Pincher emerged, involving behaviour over a decade. Three complaints are that Pincher made unwanted advances against other male MPs, one in a bar at the House of Commons and one in Pincher's parliamentary office. One complainant reportedly provided details to Downing Street in February and expressed concerns over Pincher becoming a whip in charge of other MPs' welfare. Pincher maintained he had no intention of resigning as an MP.[46]
In the following days, it emerged that Johnson had been briefed about Pincher's alleged misconduct in 2017. The government initially denied that, at the time of Pincher's appointment, Johnson had any knowledge of specific complaints about Pincher of a similar nature. Johnson later said that that was not the case, raising questions about the earlier denials and why Johnson nevertheless had chosen to appoint him as Deputy Chief Whip.[47] Pincher's appointment to deputy chief whip in spite of his history triggered a political scandal, which evolved into a government crisis, as a result of which Johnson announced his forthcoming resignation as Conservative Party leader and prime minister on 7 July 2022. Johnson left office on 6 September and was succeeded by Liz Truss.[48]
In its investigation of his conduct, the Commons Select Committee on Standards censured Pincher in a report published on 6 July 2023, recommending that he be suspended from Parliament for eight weeks.[9] The punishment would have triggered a recall petition and, if signed by 10 per cent of his Tamworth constituents, a by-election.[49]
Pincher appealed against the suspension. On 4 September it was announced that an Independent Expert Panel (IEP) had not upheld the appeal. The IEP concluded that the original House of Commons committee which investigated the sexual misconduct allegations had "approached this task properly, with the correct considerations in mind".[50]
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