Boris Johnson briefed in person about 2019 complaint of alleged groping by ex-deputy chief whip, says Simon McDonald
that the prime minister had been aware of allegations, but that these were “either resolved or did not proceed to a formal complaint”.
In the summer of 2019, shortly after Pincher became a Foreign Office minister, McDonald wrote, a group of officials complained about his behaviour, McDonald said, saying the claims were “similar” to those that emerged last week. An investigation upheld the complaint and Pincher apologised, he added.It was, McDonald wrote, “not true” for No 10 to claim either that Johnson did not knew about earlier complaints, or the amended line about the only complaint he knew about being unsubstantiated.
He added: “I am aware that is unusual to write to you and simultaneously publicise the letter. I am conscious of the duty owed to the target of an investigation but I act out of of my duty towards the victims.“Mr Pincher deceived me and others in 2019. He cannot be allowed to use the confidentiality of the process three years ago to pursue his predatory behaviour in other contexts.”
McDonald said: “I think they need to come clean. I think that the language is ambiguous, the sort of telling the truth and crossing your fingers at the same time and hoping that people are not too forensic in their subsequent questioning and I think that is not working.”
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