Chris Pincher scandal

Chris Pincher, at the centre of the scandal over accusations of sexual harassment

The Chris Pincher scandal is a political controversy in the United Kingdom about allegations of sexual harassment by the former Conservative Party Deputy Chief Whip, Chris Pincher.[1]

In early July 2022, allegations of Pincher's misconduct came out, including rumors that go back to his appointment as Deputy Chief Whip. The government denied that at the time of Pincher's appointment, Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, had any knowledge of any complaints about Pincher. Johnson later had to admit that that was not the case.[2][3]

The scandal created a major crisis for Johnson's government, with ministers, and a larger number of government staff, resigning on 5–7 July 2022.[4][5] This eventually caused in Johnson's announcement on 7 July that he would resign as party leader and prime minister.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Snowdon, Kathryn; Seddon, Paul (3 July 2022). "Chris Pincher: New claims emerge against former Tory MP". BBC News. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  2. ↑ Blewett, Sam; Baynes, Chris (2 July 2022). "Boris Johnson accused of turning blind eye to Chris Pincher allegations". The Independent. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  3. ↑ Mason, Rowena (3 July 2022). "Boris Johnson accused of ignoring warnings about Chris Pincher amid new allegations". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  4. ↑ Walker, Peter (6 July 2022). "'Charge of the lightweight brigade': Starmer uses PMQs to mock Tories". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  5. ↑ Turner, Camilla (6 July 2022). "Boris Johnson suffers most ministerial resignations in 24 hours since 1932". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  6. ↑ Mason, Rowena (7 July 2022). "Boris Johnson resigns as Conservative leader after cabinet revolt". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2022.