How No 10 changed its story on what Boris Johnson knew about Conservative MP Chris Pincher BBCRealityCheck
A former senior civil servant has accused No 10 of not telling the truth when it said the prime minister was not aware of specific allegations about Conservative MP Chris Pincher, before appointing him as deputy chief whip in February.
Then No 10's position changed on Monday lunchtime with a statement saying the prime minister was aware of "allegations that were either resolved or did not progress to a formal complaint". In the same briefing, the spokesperson said Mr Johnson was not aware of "specific allegations" about him. She was asked how she knew this and said - after a number of questions - that the information came from "somebody from the Number 10 press office".The following day, Will Quince - the minister for children and families - appeared on the BBC's Today Programme and was also asked whether the prime minister knew about the allegations before making the appointment.
"I briefed the relevant senior official in the Cabinet Office," he said. "I know that the senior official briefed the prime minister in person because that official told me so at the time."Dominic Raab, who was foreign secretary at the time of the complaint, appeared on the same programme a little earlier - but after the letter had been published.
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