Labour will act to “prevent another Pincher” with a plan to clean up politics, Angela Rayner has promised.
The Deputy Labour leader will set out proposals for an Ethics and Integrity Commission, with the power to independently launch investigations into allegations of misconduct in government.
Currently breaches of the ministerial code can only be investigated by the Prime Minister’s ethics advisor - and only with the agreement of the PM.
In a speech at the Institute for Government on Thursday, Ms Rayner is set to vow the new body will have the power to take “swift effective action at the first whiff of misconduct by ministers.”
Tory former deputy whip Chris Pincher is expected to face an eight-week Commons suspension, a year after admitting to "drinking far too much" and embarrassing "himself and other people.”
Parliament’s standards committee found he had groped two men at the exclusive Carlton Club last year.
Their report said his “completely inappropriate” behaviour was an “abuse of power.”
But Downing Street admitted Boris Johnson had been aware of claims about Mr Pincher’s behaviour long before the incident - before giving him a job maintaining party discipline.
Ms Rayner is set to argue Mr Johnson decided to “protect his friend until the very last minute, damaging public trust and undermining standards in government.”
She told the Mirror: "Chris Pincher’s actions are shocking. But what’s even worse, is the way the Conservative Party protected and promoted him. The British people deserve so much better than 13 years of Tory chaos, sleaze and scandal but Rishi Sunak is too weak to turn the page. He's failing to bring the integrity he promised."
She added: “Labour will act to prevent another Pincher with our plan to clean up politics. Our independent Ethics and Integrity Commission will have powers to launch investigations and be given real teeth to tackle wrong-doing by ministers.
“No longer will Prime Ministers be able to abuse their power for their own political convenience.”
