The groping allegations against former Tory MP Christopher Pincher are to be investigated by the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) in the wake of his bombshell resignation.
After the complaint was filed within the ICGS, Pincher was suspended as Tory MP following the sexual misconduct allegations. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is currently facing backlash for not acting sooner, with critics accusing him of trying to protect Pincher.
In his resignation letter, Pincher said he "drank far too much" and "embarrassed [himself] and other people", but never addressed the groping claims. According to reports, he sexually harassed two men at the Carlton Club in Piccadilly.
Downing Street has been blasted for exercising "double standards" in treating the scandal around Pincher - who is seen by many as an"arch-loyalist" to Johnson - and another former Tory MP, Neil Parish, who stepped down after admitting to having watched porn in the House of Commons. Parish, who appears to be less supportive of Johnson, has also weighed in on the "double standards" accusations.
“I just feel it is double standards," Parish said before the whip was suspended, noting "that that was the first thing they did to me" even though he asked for things to be sorted out privately. "I can’t believe they can treat us in such different ways.”
Allegations against Pincher fall in line with a string of sex scandals around the Conservative Party. Aside from Parish, another ex-Tory MP, Imran Khan, was arrested for rape (later being bailed without charges). This is also not the first sex scandal for Pincher himself, as in 2017 he had to quit office after being accused of making a pass at ex-Olympic rower and Tory activist Alex Story. Back then, the former MP referred himself to the police and stepped down, but a party probe cleared him of wrongdoing.