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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Mikey Smith

Tory Chris Pincher says he's getting 'professional medical support' after grope claims

Suspended Tory Chris Pincher says he's getting 'professional medical support' after being accused of drunkenly groping two men.

In a statement, the former Deputy Chief whip said he "respects" Boris Johnson's decision to suspend the whip.

And he said he would "cooperate fully" with an inquiry into his behaviour.

In a statement, the Tamworth MP said: "I respect the Prime Minister's decision to suspend the whip whilst an inquiry is underway, and I will cooperate fully with it.

"As I told the Prime Minister, I drank far too much on Wednesday night, embarrassing myself and others and I am truly sorry for the upset I caused.

"The stresses of the last few days, coming on top of those over the last several months, have made me accept that I will benefit from professional medical support.

"I am in the process of seeking that now, and I hope to be able to return to my constituency duties as soon as possible."

Mr Pincher resigned as deputy Chief Whip on Thursday, and had the Tory whip withdrawn on Friday (PA)

Tory chiefs finally withdrew the whip from Mr Pincher last night, almost 24 hours after he resigned as deputy chief whip, following allegations of drunkenly groping two men at a private members' club.

And fresh allegations emerged against Chris Pincher after the Prime Minister bowed to pressure when an investigation was launched by Parliament's sexual misconduct watchdog on Friday.

With the whip suspended, Mr Pincher will sit as an independent in the Commons but was remaining as the MP for Tamworth in Staffordshire, despite opponents saying his position is untenable.

The Prime Minister had been resisting calls to act until the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) launched an investigation after receiving a formal complaint.

Mr Johnson spoke to several individuals on Friday, including a Tory MP who was with one of the men who was allegedly groped by Mr Pincher, a Downing Street source said.

"The account given was sufficiently disturbing to make the PM feel more troubled by all this," the source said.

Further claims were levelled against Mr Pincher, with the Times reporting a young Tory activist receiving an unwanted sexual advance last year.

The activist said the MP put his hand on his knee and told him he would "go far in the party" at a party conference event last year.

Mr Pincher's lawyers told the newspaper he firmly denies the allegation, which mirrors a complaint which led to the MP's resignation from the whips office for the first time, in 2017.

Former Olympic rower and Conservative candidate Alex Story alleged Mr Pincher untucked his shirt and massaged his neck while making an unwanted pass and using similar language.

Mr Pincher was reinstated two months later as a senior whip by Theresa May after having referred himself to both the police and the Conservative Party complaints procedure.

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