A member of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government, in charge of party discipline for Conservative MPs, resigned after accusations of grooming two men, causing fresh problems for the already scandal-weakened British leader.
In his resignation letter dated yesterday, deputy leader of the Conservative parliamentary group Chris Pincher admits he had "drunk too much" and apologises for "embarrassing himself and others".
According to British media reports, the 52-year-old Conservative MP proceeded on Wednesday night to punch two men, one of whom is an MP, at a private club in central London, the Carlton Club, leading to protests against him in the Conservative Party.
Although he has resigned as deputy leader of the parliamentary group, Chris Pincher remains an MP, prompting calls for his expulsion from the party and an internal investigation.
He had been accused before
"There is no way the Conservatives can ignore a potential sexual assault," Angela Rainer, second in command of the Conservative Party, the main opposition formation, tweeted.
"Boris Johnson must now say how Chris Pincher can remain a Conservative MP," she added, regretting the "complete degradation of standards of public life" under Johnson's premiership.
[BR][BR]Chris Pincher, who was appointed in February, had already resigned as deputy leader of the parliamentary group in 2017 when he was accused of making sexual advances to an Olympic athlete and potential Conservative election candidate.
The case adds to a string of other cases of a sexual nature that have embarrassed the ruling party in recent months.
One MP suspected of rape, who was not named, was arrested and then released on bail in mid-May, another resigned in April for viewing pornography on his mobile phone while in parliament and a former MP was sentenced in May to 18 months in jail for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old.
Boris Johnson's government was also rocked by scandals such as that of parties held in Downing Street despite restrictions against Covid-19 during the pandemic, which cost the prime minister a motion of impeachment against him, which was narrowly defeated.
Johnson has already paid dearly for these scandals at the polls, as the Conservatives were defeated in two by-elections in June.
Source: APE - MPE
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