Boris Johnson urged to ‘own up to his web of lies’ after No 10 accused of not telling truth about Pincher – live

Good morning. One of the oldest cliches about political scandals is that it is not the original fault that brings you down, but the cover-up, and as Boris Johnson’s administration continues its Tory sleaze re-enactment pageant, it has provided the perfect illustration.

Last week Chris Pincher resigned as deputy chief whip after reportedly drunkenly groping two men at the Carlton Club. At Westminster many people had heard rumours that Pincher may have done similar things before, and the incident immediately prompted questions as to why Boris Johnson appointed Pincher deputy chief whip in the February reshuffle in the first place.

No 10’s initial response last Friday was to say that Johnson was not aware of any allegations about Pincher’s conduct when he appointed him to the post (which gave him considerable power over Tory MPs, as well as a pastoral duty to support them). Over the last four days that line has now collapsed, to the point where any reasonable observer must conclude that Downing Street has been lying. My colleague Archie Bland has a comprehensive account of how the No 10 story unravelled in his First Edition briefing.

This morning Simon McDonald, a former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, has released a copy of the letter he has sent to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Kathryn Stone, providing yet more evidence that No 10 has not been telling the truth. McDonald says in the summer of 2019, soon after Johnson promoted Pincher from the backbenches and made him a minister of state at the Foreign Office, officials complained about Pincher’s groping-type behaviour. (McDonald does not give details, but he says the allegations were similar to the Carlton Club ones.) The complaint was upheld and Pincher apologised, McDonald says. And when Pincher left the Foreign Office, staff did not bother with a leaving do.

Crucially, McDonald says Johnson was told about this at the time. McDonald says this shows what No 10 has been saying about what Johnson knew about Pincher – even the modified line being used yesterday – is untrue. McDonald writes:

The original No 10 line is not true and the modification is still not accurate. Mr Johnson was briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of the investigation. There was a “formal complaint”. Allegations were “resolved” only in the sense that the investigation was completed; Mr Pincher was not exonerated. To characterise the allegations as “unsubstantiated” is therefore wrong.

McDonald does not use the word “lying” in his letter, and he did not use it in his subsequent interview on the Today programme. But, when asked what No 10 needed to do now, “stop lying” was effectively what he said. He told the programme:

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.

In response Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader, has said Johnson needs to “own up to his web of lies”. She said:

Lord McDonald has shone a new light on this murky cover-up. Boris Johnson needs to own up to his web of lies and finally come clean today. Every day this carries on our politics gets dragged further through the mud.

Here is the agenda for the day.

9.30am: Boris Johnson chairs cabinet.

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

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Source: Guardian