Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister, has denied that rape allegations against a Conservative MP were “covered up” during his time running the party’s headquarters.
The former party chair said the Conservatives had a “zero tolerance” approach to sexual misconduct after claims that it had failed in its responsibilities towards alleged victims of a “serial rapist” MP.
In a round of broadcast interviews, Dowden, who stepped down from the role in June 2022, urged any individuals with concerns about the MP, who has not been named for legal reasons, to go straight to the police.
It follows reports in the Mail on Sunday that allegations of multiple sexual offences, including rape, had been made against the MP but were not dealt with properly by the party, allowing the politician to continue offending after the alarm was raised.
The former Tory chairman Jake Berry, who was in post from September to October 2022, sent a letter to the police in which he revealed that a number of allegations about an MP had been made known to the party, but only limited action had been taken.
“It is very difficult for me to comment specifically on this for two reasons. First of all, the individual isn’t named, and secondly, it may be the case that there are criminal investigations ongoing,” Dowden told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.
“But what I can say is that every single allegation is taken exceptionally seriously. We had an independent investigation process into it, and indeed if anyone has concerns, they should be taken to the police.
“I don’t recognise in any form the idea that we covered up, and I can assure you, categorically, it was not the case that when I was chairman of the Conservative party, I covered up any allegations.”
Dowden later told Sky News that the Tory party had “zero tolerance” for sexual misconduct, adding: “We have an independent complaints mechanism and that investigates any allegations.”
The Mail on Sunday reported that Berry wrote to the police after he discovered that the Conservative party had paid for one of the alleged victims to receive treatment at a private hospital.
The deputy prime minister later told GB News he “can’t say for certain” that the party did not pay the alleged victim’s hospital bills.
Asked about the issue on Times Radio, Dowden said: “I’m not denying that it could be the case that those payments were made, but it’s not something that I authorised or was part of as chairman of the Conservative party.”
The Mail on Sunday reported that Berry, who wrote the letter jointly with the former chief whip Wendy Morton, another MP and a Downing Street official, claimed that the party’s failure to act had allowed the MP to continue offending after the alarm had been raised.
Berry wrote: “We are aware that this matter has been ongoing for over two years. We also believe there are up to five victims of X and that the failure of others to act has enabled X to continue to offend and to victimise women.”
