Days after Chris Pincher was expelled from the Conservative Party for allegedly molesting two men, six other allegations of inappropriate behavior by him have surfaced.
The accusations date back more than ten years.
Mr. Pincher, an MP for Tamworth in Staffordshire, claims he is looking for specialized medical care and has no plans to step down from his position and he told reporters that the accusations were false.
Three instances in which Mr. Pincher is claimed to have made unwanted approaches toward male MPs, including in a bar in parliament and his own parliamentary office, are included in the charges reported in the Independent, the Mail on Sunday, and the Sunday Times but no formal grievances were ever filed.
One of the MPs reportedly spoke with Downing Street in February, detailing what he claimed had happened to him and expressing his worries that Mr. Pincher would be appointed a party whip, in charge of the welfare and discipline of other MPs.
After being accused of groping two men the night before at the Carlton Club, a club for Conservative Party members in London, Mr. Pincher resigned from his position as deputy chief whip on Thursday.
The initial implication from No. 10 following the deputy chief whip’s resignation was that the prime minister thought the situation was resolved.
However, Mr. Pincher will serve as an independent after being suspended from the Conservative Party following a complaint to the House’s conduct watchdog.
On Wednesday night, Mr. Pincher claimed he drank much too much, embarrassing me and others and he was sorry for the upset he caused.
Independent investigators look into complaints against MPs and might offer suggestions for future action. MPs would need to vote on the matter if they choose to suspend or expel the MP.
In 2017, Mr. Pincher resigned from his position as whip after being accused of making unwanted advances toward Conservative activist and former Olympic rower Alex Story.
But following a party investigation, he was found not to have violated the party’s code of conduct.