chris pincher, of the front pages tomorrow. chris pincher. the _ of the front pages tomorrow., the mp for _ of the front pages tomorrow. chris pincher, the mp for tamworth, and the deputy— pincher, the mp for tamworth, and the deputy chief whip, has been accused — the deputy chief whip, has been accused of bad behaviour towards two people _ accused of bad behaviour towards two people come and allegations have been made against him. under comments in the papers today that the conservative party didn't move fast enough to discipline him, given the circumstances of the allegations. he has said that she is seeking _ allegations. he has said that she is seeking medical help with the issues, — seeking medical help with the issues, and has denied some of the allegations, but certainly it is the latest _ allegations, but certainly it is the latest in — allegations, but certainly it is the latest in a — allegations, but certainly it is the latest in a series of difficult stories— latest in a series of difficult stories for the prime minister and for the _ stories for the prime minister

chris pincher has denied the l ago. chris pincher has denied the allegations _ ago.tions against _ ago. chris pincher has denied the allegations against him. - ago. chris pincher has denied the allegations against him. tonight l ago. chris pincher has denied the i allegations against him. tonight the man who one day would like to move into number ten himself sees his opponent in peril. this government is collapsing. _ opponent in peril. this government is collapsing, and _ opponent in peril. this government is collapsing, and the _ opponent in peril. this government is collapsing, and the tory - opponent in peril. this government is collapsing, and the tory cabinet | is collapsing, and the tory cabinet members — is collapsing, and the tory cabinet members have been backing boris johnson _ members have been backing boris johnson through this, the tory party is corrupted — johnson through this, the tory party is corrupted and we need notjust a change _ is corrupted and we need notjust a change at _ is corrupted and we need notjust a change at the top of the tory party

will you suspend chris pincher? numberl you suspend chris pincher?n insisted — you suspend chris pincher? number ten insisted boris _ you suspend chris pincher? number ten insisted boris johnson - you suspend chris pincher? number ten insisted boris johnson had - you suspend chris pincher? number ten insisted boris johnson had not l ten insisted borisjohnson had not been wear of specific allegations about chris pincher. but a conservative mp said concerns had been raised with downing street. chris pincher was one of the conservative mps who helped boris johnson keep hisjob earlier this year. it was one of the reasons he was promoted to government. but after the allegations of groping emerged last night. there was considerable pressure from senior tories, for a zero tolerance approach, and tonight it was confirmed that chris pincher would be suspended from the tory party in parliament. a spokeswoman for the chief whip said having heard that a formal complaint has been made, the prime minister has agreed that the whip should be suspended from chris pin

have we learnt anything more from chris pincher. anything more from chris pincher himself?ncher himself? ., _, ., himself? i tried to contact him and i ut himself? i tried to contact him and i put these — himself? i tried to contact him and i put these to _ himself? i tried to contact him and i put these to him. _ himself? i tried to contact him and i put these to him. he _ himself? i tried to contact him and i put these to him. he hasn't - himself? i tried to contact him andj i put these to him. he hasn't come back to me on that but we know he has told the newspaper is that he denies all of these allegations. we did hear a little bit earlierfrom him in a statement in which he said that he wasn't thinking of resigning as an mp, he was seeking professional medical help and wanted to return to his constituency mp role as soon as possible and would help with the parliamentary inquiry thatis help with the parliamentary inquiry that is now under way. is help with the parliamentary inquiry that is now under way.— that is now under way. is the pm likel to that is now under way. is

do you think there are genuine defence points he can make about, for example, the chris pincher affaire, he's got all the other issues as well. could be his explanations to chris mason todayis be his explanations to chris mason today is possible? i’m be his explanations to chris mason today is possible?— today is possible? i'm afraid part ofthe today is possible? i'm afraid part of the problem _ today is possible? i'm afraid part of the problem for _ today is possible? i'm afraid part of the problem for him _ today is possible? i'm afraid part of the problem for him is - today is possible? i'm afraid part of the problem for him is that. today is possible? i'm afraid part of the problem for him is that i l of the problem for him is that i don't think very many people believe him any more. that was a very good interview that chris mason did that you just played and i suspect that l, you just played and i suspect that i, like most people watching it, grimaced, winced, because we've heard him lie so often and we're so confident that he will say he apologises and it's the wrong thing to do,

hejust the mp chris pincher. he just told the mp chris pincher.c in hindsight, it was the wrong thing to do and there was no place in the government for predatory behaviour. chris pincher resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct and he's now been suspended from the conservative party. since the allegations emerged, there's been a growing row over when mrjohnson was aware of the allegations. it was confirmed today by one minister that mr johnson had been told before appointing him. the prime minister made the comments to chris mason. do you accept this was a grave error? , . i think it was a mistake and i apologise. in hindsight, it was the wrong thing to do. i apologise to everyone who's been badly affected by it. ijust want everyone who's been badly affected by it. i just want to everyone who's been badly affected by it. ijust want to make absolutely clear that there is no place in this government for anybody who is predatory and abuses their position of power. did who is predatory and abuses their position of power.— who is predatory and

i the character traits that chris pincher had.— the character traits that chris pincher had. ., ~ , .hink there is a danger in politics _ pincher had. i do think there is a danger in politics sometimes - pincher had. i do think there is a | danger in politics sometimes that people are pricey purely for their loyalty? i people are pricey purely for their lo al ? ~ ., , people are pricey purely for their loal? ~ _ loyalty? i think that is horribly obvious at _ loyalty? i think that is horribly obvious at the _ loyalty? i think that is horribly obvious at the moment. -- i loyalty? i think that is horribly l obvious at the moment. -- they loyalty? i think that is horribly - obvious at the moment. -- they are obvious at the moment. —— they are priced purely for their loyalty. any decision not to sack chris pincher immediately. it was, one must conclude, because of his loyalty to the prime minister and equally his behaviour with owen paterson when it was generally felt that the man really had to go. borisjohnson wanted to keep him because he was a loyaljohnson—ite. do wanted to keep him bec

, _ interested in protecting chris pincher, a numberten source interested in protecting chris pinchere on thursday— pincher, a number ten source on thursday saying that it was right that he — thursday saying that it was right that he sit down as deputy chief whip _ that he sit down as deputy chief whip but — that he sit down as deputy chief whip but has he done the kind of dignified — whip but has he done the kind of dignified and right thing that it was proper that he status of taurean p and _ was proper that he status of taurean p and i_ was proper that he status of taurean p and i think that isjust extraordinarily inappropriate way to respond _ extraordinarily inappropriate way to respond to— extraordinarily inappropriate way to respond to this and throughout these problems. _ respond to this and throughout these problems, it always seems to be that the victims _ problems, it always seems to be that the victims are not the people that are heard — the victims are not the people that are heard first, it's the political parties — are heard first, it's the political parties protecting

they've spoken to a tory mp who claims he was groped twice by chris pincher.t and dirty�* with a heatwave on the way. let's begin. anne and shyama joining me this morning. the first paper we will look at is the sunday times. we hear first hand will look at is the sunday times. we hearfirst hand in will look at is the sunday times. we hear first hand in this from an alleged victim who says he is furious and shell—shocked without claims were dealt with and anne, coming straight to you. what is your reaction? we are hearing more and more claims, aren't we, today? it is not a good — more claims, aren't we, today? it 3 not a good morning to be reading the newspapers if you do not want to hear about grouping as you are enjoying your breakfast. but indeed the revelations about the case involving chris pincher, the deputy chief whip who lost his job in the tory party last week. this is one of the victims of the attack that cost chris pincher his job, the victims of the attack that cost chris pincher hisjob, talking about the circumstances in which it happened in the c

— appointment in february of chris pincher to— appointment in february of chris pincher to the deputy eyebrows were raised. when it was put to the ethics committee, they couldn't— put to the ethics committee, they couldn't find any formal record or notification on chris pincher's record — notification on chris pincher's record. therefore, they couldn't do anything _ record. therefore, they couldn't do anything because everything else was 'ust a anything because everything else was just a rumour. that has clearly got to change — just a rumour. that has clearly got to change. is just a rumour. that has clearly got to chance. , , just a rumour. that has clearly got to change-— to change. is interesting that the headhnes to change. is interesting that the headlines really _ to change. is interesting that the headlines really seem _ to change. is interesting that the headlines really seem to - to change. is interesting that the headlines really seem to focus i to change. is interesting that the | headlines really seem to focus on what the prime minister knew or didn't know. teri. what the

_ because, you know, chris pincher appears to— because, you know, chris pincher appears to be a veryl eventually have the whip removed, he is causing that inevitable — whip removed, he is causing that inevitable kind of course of action to be _ inevitable kind of course of action to be delayed because of this ally ship _ to be delayed because of this ally ship it— to be delayed because of this ally ship. it seems as if that is a big mistake — ship. it seems as if that is a big mistake on— ship. it seems as if that is a big mistake on so many levels according to conservative mps. find mistake on so many levels according to conservative mps.— to conservative mps. and 'ust on that, we to conservative mps. and 'ust on that. we fl to conservative mps. and 'ust on that, we are looking h to conservative mps. and 'ust on that, we are looking at h to conservative mps. and 'ust on that, we are looking at a h to conservative mps. and just on that, we are looking at a lot - to conservative mps. and just on that, we are looking at a lot of i that, we are looking at a lot of different levels here an

yeah, and ifelt sorry had been made against chris pincher.line to try and defend member of the government that she was not the one who appointed him. but i think it's important for the viewer to understand there is a huge difference between hearing allegation to get someone and then being able to prove the allegations and prove them to the satisfaction of the lawyers. so what i think what you were sitting across a piece todayis you were sitting across a piece today is lots ofjournalists who known about this allegations against chris pincher and probably failed as a no half a dozen of my colleagues have to stand them up and are now having a licence to try and at least print some of it. but like i said, chris pincher is the fifth or sixth conservative mp in the last few months you have been taken off a roll or reside over sexual misconduct. and i think by the weight notjust the conservatives. the snp in labour party have both had similar cases the last year or so, so i think there is something deeply wrong at westminster and i'm afraid i don't

chris pincher has resigned and boris johnson wants to move on.wn mps are not allowing him to do so. two former ministers have written to the chief whip today saying the serious reputational damage being done to the party over this and more generally, they are calling for a new code of conduct to be imposed on conservative mps. although the prime minister would like to move on, questions are being raised about how he puts his own party in order. thank you. iain watson. the latest figures for covid—i9 in the uk show another big rise in infections in the last week — they�*re up by almost a third. our health editor hugh pym joins me now — hugh, a big jump in the numbers? that is right. this survey by the ons involves regular testing of households and is seen as the most authoritative guide. the headline is 2.3 million people in the uk had the virus last week, up 32% week on week. pretty significant but still only about half what it was in late march. scotland had the highest rate in the uk. hospital numbers, in england, this is the latest data, nearl

there were - allegations about chris pincher made backin allegations about chris pincher made back inernment, which he denied. when investigated they were found to not be correct. he was promoted and became a minister. 0n the specific allegations, the prime minister did not know and i think he as soon as he found out acted decisively. there are also claims _ he found out acted decisively. there are also claims the _ he found out acted decisively. there are also claims the prime _ he found out acted decisively. there are also claims the prime minister referred to pincher by name, picture by nature. downing street hasn't denied that. number 10 said it wasn't appropriate to stop his appointment because of unsubstantiated allegations. we've not a prime unsubstantiated allegations. we've got a prime minister _ unsubstantiated allegations. we've got a prime minister with _ unsubstantiated allegations. we've got a prime minister with no - got a prime minister with no judgment is consistently putting his own interest before the interest of the country. so this is a very, very sorry saga and i

will you suspend chris pincher? insisted borisjohnson had not been aware of specific allegations about mr pincher when he was promoted earlier this year. but a conservative mp said concerns had been raised with downing street. chris pincher was one of the conservative mps who helped borisjohnson keep his job earlier this year. it was one of the reasons he was promoted to government. but after the allegations of groping emerged last night, there was considerable pressure from senior tories, for a zero—tolerance approach, and tonight it was confirmed that mr pincher would be suspended from the tory party in parliament. a spokeswoman for the chief whip said having heard that a formal complaint has been made, the prime minister has agreed with the chief whip that the whip should be suspended from chris pincher, while the investigation is ongoing. but some parliamentary staff have raised concerns about general allegation, not being taken seriously enough. henry and angus work for mps. as staff in parliament, we know abou

chris pincher worked hard to keep borisjohnson in office during partygate.chief whip in february and was responsible for party discipline. but his own lack of discipline on wednesday led to this letter of resignation on thursday. chris pincher was said by witnesses to be drinking heavily at a reception at this conservative private members' club in central london. the more serious allegation that came to light is that he groped two men. downing street does not believe that further action is necessary following the resignation and he can continue as mp but critics say he should be shown the door. government ministers insist the allegations are being taken seriously. all i want to say and i want to stress this, is we take all of these things incredibly seriously. my first reaction when i heard this last night was one of sadness and frustration that here we are again in this position. it is absolutely beholden on us to make sure that we do these things properly from the point of view of the victims. questions have been raised here at westminster about the prime

chris pincher resigned from his job _ accurate. chris pincher resigned from his job as _ accurate.deputy - accurate. chris pincher resigned from his job as deputy chief - accurate. chris pincher resigned. from his job as deputy chief whip last thursday. he has denied the misconduct allegations against him and is seeking professional medical support. number10's and is seeking professional medical support. number 10's line has changed several times since then. first, it said the prime minister was not aware of allegations involving mr pincher when he was given thejob in february. but yesterday, downing street said boris johnson was aware of some allegations that were either resolved or did not turn into a formal complaint. lord mcdonald' intervention contradicts that claim and some of borisjohnson�*s own backbenchers are exasperated. it does appear ministers of the crown have been lied to by people in downing street before being sent out onto the media. i downing street before being sent out onto the media.— onto the media. i called the deputy leader, onto the media. i called the dep

mark dabbs met chris pincher in 2018 when he was working on a project about politicians.rk said he was touched inappropriately by the mp. when we were walking out and he was asking me if i was a runner, and i told him, and he said, you must have a lot of stamina. and then he was almost like giving me the come on. and he's feeling my leg and saying, you must be muscular, like that. that immediately makes me worried and thinking that's not right. touching me there, i don't think he should be doing that to someone he's just met. and then when he's outside, he's got his arm round me, and touching me on the bottom. i don't think that should happen either, really. chris pincher strongly denies mark's allegations and says a member of staff was present at all times. mark says he should quit parliament. boris johnson also faces questions after he promoted mr pincher in february. have you turned a blind eye to sleaze, prime minister? number ten conceded today he had known about speculation of sexual misconduct and allegations number ten said were either resolved or didn't progress

in chris pincher�*s constituency of tamworth in staffordshire this morning, it was all quiet. cher himself has not spoken publicly since he resigned as the deputy chief whip on thursday night after being accused of groping two men at the private carlton club in london. he said in his resignation letter that he had "drunk far too much" and embarrassed himself. he remains the mp for tamworth. some constituents told us they were unhappy at his behaviour. very disappointed in him because we've always voted tory and we always will. and i love boris. and it's a shame he has to take the flak for all of it. it's not right, is it? it's wrong. he's there to look after the people in tamworth, and he does things like this. he is meant to be representing the town and that is not - representation that you really want. i think it's disgraceful and it is now time he left. a formal complaint has now been made to parliament's independent complaints and grievance scheme, which investigates allegations of sexual misconduct. the prime minister and the chief whip agreed to suspend mr pincher from si

these are allegations obviously but chris pincher— allegations obviously but chris pincher set it up s what we now know there's a record of this. going _ now know there's a record of this. going back— now know there's a record of this. going back to 2019, 2017 as well. the thing — going back to 2019, 2017 as well. the thing that really pushed sajid javid and — the thing that really pushed sajid javid and rishi sunak who are both serious people, they believe in integrity — serious people, they believe in integrity. remember, sajidjavid integrity. remember, sajid javid resigned — integrity. remember, sajidjavid resigned in principle when he was going _ resigned in principle when he was going to — resigned in principle when he was going to be forced to throw his aides under the bus he was chancellor and refused to do it. he resigned _ chancellor and refused to do it. he resigned his position. he's a person of principle — resigned his position. he's a person of principle and so was rishi sunak to stop _ of principle and so was rishi sunak to stop these people are not prepared to go out an

after having the web suspended chris pincher is now| web suspended chris pincher is now sitting as anp. the behaviour of elected representatives is in the spotlight again. the number of people catching covid is on the rise again in the uk. with little testing going on — the most reliable way to find out how many people have coronavirus is from the weekly survey by the office for national statistics. and the latest estimates today suggest the numbers havejumped by almost a third in a week, to two—point—three million. our health editor hugh pym has the details. there are further sharp increases in covid infections, driven by variants of omicron known as baa and ba5 which spread more rapidly. case rates rose in all the uk's nations, with scotland still the highest. but if you look back at previous covid numbers, the latest level of infections is still less than half what it was in march, and lower than january. so where will it go from here? portugal had a big rise in infection, that is coming down, the second feature may be to do with our behaviour and interaction with many schools are

new allegations have emerged against chris pincher, who resigned from the government on thursday, aftersed of groping two men in a private members' club the night before. mr pincher, who admits that he'd had too much to drink, says he's now seeking professional help. he denies the latest claims which are made in a number of sunday newspapers. borisjohnson is facing questions about how much he knew when he appointed mr pincher as the deputy chief whip in february. here's our political correspondent helen catt. it was what it claimed happened an evening of drinking here, that called for the resignation of chris pincher, to suspension as a conservative mp. in the papers today, there are more claims denied by mr pincher, at other locations, stretching back a number of years, and among them, that he made unwanted physical advances towards three male mps, including once in a palm tree bark and once in his office. one of those mps, it is reported, told downing street in february about his experience, when the prime minister was considering appointing him to the wit�*s offers. the government me

for borisjohnson, new scrutiny about his decision to appoint chris pincher, one of his most loyal supporterst the carlton club on wednesday, accused of publicly groping two men. he said he had drunk far too much and embarrassed himself and others. this weekend has brought six more allegations. all are denied by mr pincher. three are that he made similar unwanted advances to fellow mps, one in a bar in parliament, one in his private office. in february, when mr pincher was made whip, one of those mps contacted downing street to relay his concerns. downing street has said that at the time, borisjohnson was not aware of any specific allegations, something repeated by a minister today. so how can you be sure that he didn't know about the allegations? well, i'm saying that i've been informed this morning he did not know about specific allegations, as has been well reported. people who spoke to him on friday and in agreement with the chief whip, the whip was removed from chris pincher, who, by the way, is now under a formal investigation process. and it's important that process is allowed to happe

six new claims of inappropriate behaviour by the former deputy chief whip chris pincher have emerged, days after he was suspended as a tory mp over allegations he groped two men. mr pincher denies the latest claims, which are reported in several sunday newspapers. borisjohnson is facing questions about how much he knew when he appointed the mp as the deputy chief whip in february. here's our political correspondent helen catt. it was what it's claimed happened on an evening of drinking here at london's carlton club that led to chris pincher�*s resignation from the government on thursday night and later his suspension as a conservative mp. in today's papers, there are more claims, denied by mr pincher, of incidents at other locations, stretching back a number of years. among them, that he made unwanted physical advances towards three male mps, including once in a parliamentary bar and once in his office. one of those mps, it's reported, told downing street in february about his experience, when the prime minister was considering appointing mr pincher to the whip�*s office. but the gove

chris pincher was appointed a foreign office minister injuly 2019 by mrjohnson, and stayed in the postruary 2020. during his time as a foreign office minister, an official complaint was raised about mr pincher for inappropriate behaviour. this triggered a process, overseen by the cabinet office, which resulted in a report that confirmed misconduct. yesterday, number ten reiterated that the prime minister was not aware of any specific allegations being looked at, and said that in the absence of a formal complaint it would not be appropriate to stop the appointment. however lord mcdonald says downing street is not telling the truth and that borisjohnson was briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of the investigation into mr pincher when mr pincher was a foreign office minister this this morning the former civil servant published his letter, alongside a tweet saying, "this morning i have written "to the parliamentary commissioner for standards — "because number ten keep changing their story "and are still not telling the truth." sir simon mcdonald was asked on the today progra

have we learnt anything more from chris pincher himself?come back to me on that but we know he has told the newspapers that he denies all of these allegations. we did hear a little bit earlier from him in a statement in which he said that he wasn't thinking of resigning as an mp, he was seeking professional medical help and wanted to return to his constituency mp role as soon as possible and would help with the parliamentary inquiry that is now under way. president biden has warned that states passing strict anti—abortion laws will try to jail women who choose to travel to get abortions. and he promised the federal government will act to protect women's rights to travel. he was speaking at a virtual meeting with democratic state governors. if extremist governors try to block a woman from traveling from her state that prohibits herfrom seeking medical help she needs to a state that provides that care, the federal government will act to protect her bedrock rights through the attorney general�*s office. earlier, we heard from mary zeigler a pr

will you suspend chris pincher? ritish hopefuls — cameron norrie and heather watson — this will both be in action today at wimbledon. welcome to bbc news. we will bring you more on all of those stories in a moment. the latest data on the prevalence of covid in the uk have just been released. i want to bring those figures to give. the percentage of people testing positive for covid has continued to increase across the uk. likely caused by increases in infections because of these new 0micron variants. in england, the estimated number of people testing positive for covid was 1,829,100. that is the equivalent of 3.35% of the population are probably an easierfigure to the population are probably an easier figure to understand, one the population are probably an easierfigure to understand, one in 30 people. one in 30 people in england is estimated number of people testing positive for covid—19 —— for covid. it is one in 30 in wales, one in 25 in northern ireland and one in 18 in scotland. so these are figures from the offi

that is the latest on the chris pincher affair at the moment.borisjohnson under some pressure to suspend them from the conservative parliamentary party, to suspend as a tory mp. let�*s get more now on the ceremony that�*s taken place in hong kong to mark 25 years since the end of british colonial rule in hong kong. the chinese president, xijinping, led the commemorations and in his speech said true democracy began after the territory was handed back to china. britain and the us have accused beijing of failing to live up to the promises it made in 1997 to respect hong kong�*s freedoms. lord chris patten was the last governor of hong kong and was at the handover ceremony in 1997. he spoke to my colleague annita mcveigh earlier and reflected on what he said that day. saying that it was now hong kong�*s destiny to be run by the people of hong kong have turned to ashes, because hong kong was once one of the freest, arguably the freest and most open society in asia and it has now been turned into a police state, as several of our newspapers have said

for days, ministers have insisted boris johnson was not aware of specific allegations against chris pincherappointed the government's deputy chief whip in february. but the bbc can now reveal that borisjohnson was made aware of a formal complaint raised about mr pincher�*s inappropriate behaviour while he was a foreign office minister from 2019 to 2020. the complaint triggered a disciplinary process that confirmed his misconduct. the bbc has been told that mr pincher apologised at the end of the process. the message from number 10 has developed since last thursday when chris pincher resigned saying he had drunk too much the previous night and had embarrassed himself. it was alleged that he had gropsedtwo men. in the following days, historical claims of inappropriate behaviour emerged which he denies. but on sunday and monday morning, ministers continued to stress that boris johnson was not aware of specific allegations when he gave mr pincher his most recent governmentjob. there was a development later on monday when downing street revealed the prime minister was previously aware of reports

reporter: will you i suspend chris pincher? out mr pincher�*s behaviour before he was given a governmentjob. number ten insisted borisjohnson had not been made aware of specific allegations. chris pincher was one of the conservative mps who helped borisjohnson keep his job earlier this year. it was one of the reasons he was promoted to government. but after the allegations of groping emerged last night, there was considerable pressure from senior tories for a zero tolerance approach, and tonight it was confirmed that mr pincher would be suspended from the tory party in parliament. a spokeswoman for the chief whip said... the right thing has happened. what i think is sad is that it took all day for borisjohnson to show any leadership and borisjohnson has now decided that the best thing for borisjohnson is for chris pincher to lose the whip. but some parliamentary staff have raised concerns about general allegations not being taken seriously enough. henry and angus both work for mps. as staff in parliament, we know about these rum

have we learnt anything more from chris pincher himself?. it's day six of the wimbledon championships and there's just been a major upset in the women's tournament with the top seed iga swee—ontek defeated 6—4 6—2 in the third round by alize cornet of france. earlier on centre court coco gauff was also knocked out of the tournament while rafael nadal will be in action later. chet—an pa—tak from bbc sport is at the tournment and told us about the earlier upsets. chetan patak from bbc sport is at the tournment and told us about the earlier upsets. is at the tournment and told us for the we have seen the upset of the championship so far, the world number one and number one seed knocked out in the third round. that incredible 37 match winning streak comes to an and as the french woman who is 32 now came onto the radar back in 2014 by knocking out the den world number one serena williams has now got that stand out result in her wimbledon resume by knocking out her opponent in three sets. she's been very honest during these championship saying sh

message from number 10 has developed since last thursday when chris pincher resigned, saying he had drankimself. it was alleged he had groped two men. in the following days: but on sunday and monday morning, ministers continued to stress that borisjohnson was not aware of specific allegations when he gave chris pincher his most recent governmentjob. it was a development later on monday when downing street revealed the prime minister was previously aware of reports and speculation nothing firmer than that. then last night, the bbc revealed the formal complaint that had been brought to boris johnson's attention. you that had been brought to boris johnson's attention.— johnson's attention. you know how important— johnson's attention. you know how important a _ johnson's attention. you know how important a role - johnson's attention. you know how important a role with - how important a role with has... ~ , �* , has... the prime minister's eliza defending _ has... the prime minister's eliza defending his - has... the prime minister's| eliza defending his handling the situation. it eliza defend

chris pincher resigned from hisjob as deputy chief whip last thursday.isconduct allegations against him and is seeking professional medical support. number ten's line has changed several times since then. first, it said the prime minister was not aware of allegations involving mr pincher when he was given thejob in february. but yesterday, downing street said borisjohnson was aware of some allegations that were either resolved or did not turn into a formal complaint. lord mcdonald's intervention contradicts that claim and some of borisjohnson�*s own backbenchers are exasperated. it does appear that ministers of the crown have been lied to by people in downing street before being sent out onto the media. i call the deputy- leader, angela ranger. in the commons this lunchtime, labour said this was all about borisjohnson�*s judgment. what message, mr speaker, does this send about the standards of this government and what they set? what message does this send to the british people facing a cost—of—living crisis while their government is paralysed with scanda

, borisjohnson was briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of an investigation into chris pincherr in 2019, when he was a foreign office minister. he says there was a formal complaint and mr pincher was not exonerated. the deputy prime minister, dominic raab, was foreign secretary at the time. you don't believe, then, _ the word of lord mcdonald who said mrjohnson was briefed in person | about the initiation and outcome| of the investigation? so, that's news to me, i wasn't aware of that and it's not clear to me that is factually accurate. chris pincher resigned from hisjob as deputy chief whip last thursday. he has denied the misconduct allegations against him and is seeking professional medical support. number ten's line has changed several times since then. first, it said the prime minister was not aware of allegations involving mr pincher when he was given thejob in february. but yesterday, downing street said borisjohnson was aware of some allegations that were either resolved or did not turn into a formal complaint. lord mcdonald's intervention contradicts that claim and som

reporter: will you i suspend chris pincher? aimed downing street was warned about mr pincher�*s behaviour before he was given a governmentjob. number ten insisted borisjohnson had not been made aware of specific allegations. chris pincher was one of the conservative mps who helped borisjohnson keep hisjob earlier this year. it was one of the reasons he was promoted to government. but after the allegations of groping emerged last night, there was considerable pressure from senior tories for a zero tolerance approach, and tonight it was confirmed that mr pincher would be suspended from the tory party in parliament. a spokeswoman for the chief whip said... the right thing has happened. what i think is sad is that it took all day for borisjohnson to show any leadership and borisjohnson has now decided that the best thing for borisjohnson is for chris pincher to lose the whip. but some parliamentary staff have raised concerns about general allegations not being taken seriously enough. henry and angus both work for mps. as staff in pa

in britain, borisjohnson is facing more calls to reveal by one of his mps, chris pincher. deputy chief whip on thursday, following allegations he groped two men at a private members�* club. in his resignation letter, the mp said he �*drank far too much' and embarrassed himself and other people. he was allowed to continue as a tory mp until late on friday, when he was suspended. mr pincher now faces a series of new claims of inappropriate behaviour stretching back several years. he has not responded to the bbc, but denied those allegations to newspapers. this is the second time mr pincher has stepped back from the whips�* office, having resigned in 2017. now, the prime minister is facing growing pressure over his handling of the allegations. labour wants details on what number 10 knew about the claims when mr pincher was appointed. the party�*s chairwoman, anneliese dodds, says the pm is �*clearly happy to sweep sexual misconduct under the carpet to save his own skin�*. the conservatives says boris johnson was not aware of �*specific allegations�* against mr pincher. but th

borisjohnson had been told of a similar complaint before he'd given chris pincher a job in his team.sn't the story given to ministers to tell the rest of us. i've been given a categorical assurance that the prime minister was not aware of any specific allegation or complaint made against the former deputy chief whip chris pincher. it took a former civil servant to force the government to tell the truth. the categorical assurance was wrong. what do you make of that? i do not think that i is the way to behave. i found the...the allegations concerning the former deputy chief whip and then the response to that, i just... i'm afraid it was... i'd reached the end of the road. a minister was sent out badly briefed with things which turned out to be untrue, and clearly you can't lie your way through crises, you've got to tell the truth. someone who was a senior minister until a few days ago at least told me you could argue that the mess around chris pincher was sordid but not disastrous — yet it confirmed a view for most people round here that the downing street operation just wasn't working

the prime minister has not been aware of specific allegations against chris pincher., back in 2017, after a formal allegation was made, he was investigated and theresa may reappointed him, that promoted him to the role of deputy chief whip at that time, but since then, chris has continued to serve in a government and what it is important to think about what has happened in the last week, specific allegations were made, and very proactive decision was made to remove the whip, as well as chris had already resigned from government. boris johnson's pledge to build a0 new hospitals by 2030 is facing a review from the government's spending watchdog. the national audit office intends to conduct a "value for money review" later this year. the bbc understands only five nhs trusts are currently building a new hospital. labour accused the tories of "overpromising and underdelivering". the department of health and social care said the first of the a0 new hospitals "opened for patients last year and a further six are under construction". it's little more than a week since the us s

i a grave error to appoint chris pincher? ~ ., , ., a grave error to appoint chris pincher? name, pinch or by nature"?— by nature"? one of the reasons i recret by nature"? one of the reasons i regret this _ by nature"? one of the reasons i regret this so — by nature"? one of the reasons i regret this so much _ by nature"? one of the reasons i regret this so much is _ by nature"? one of the reasons i regret this so much is at - by nature"? one of the reasons i regret this so much is at three i regret this so much is at three years ago there was a complaint made against chris pincher in the foreign office, the complaint was cleared up, he apologised. it was raised with me, orally i was briefed on it. it happened and if i had my time again, i would think back on it and recognise that he wasn't going to learn recognise that he wasn't going to [earn his lesson, and he wasn't going to change. learn his lesson, and he wasn't going to change-— learn his lesson, and he wasn't going to change. you didn't deny usina the going to change. you didn't deny using the phrase _ going to change

as things stand, chris pincher won�*t face any further action.nt source said he was a loyal conservative who recognised he had behaved badly. labour say there are serious questions about how he can remain as a conservative mp. and chris pincher�*s resignation will again raise the issue of standards of conduct at westminster. jonathan blake, bbc news. our political correspondent iain watson is in westminster. good morning. a government source saying as things stand mr pincher won�*t face any further action, but will this align hold, and is there a risk that the prime minister is putting himself in a position of not taking the allegations seriously enough. taking the allegations seriously enou:h. . , ,, enough. certainly downing street told me this _ enough. certainly downing street told me this morning _ enough. certainly downing street told me this morning they - enough. certainly downing street| told me this morning they thought enough. certainly downing street - told me this morning they thought no further action was necessary under government

the fact the prime minister natalie appointed chris pincher to his government but to the whip's officenning lack of 'udgment in m oinion. ~ ., , , , my opinion. what is interesting 'ust to come back — my opinion. what is interesting 'ust to come back to fl my opinion. what is interesting 'ust to come back to that i my opinion. what is interesting 'ust to come back to that headline, h

— party seems to be to protect chris pincher and he was seen as someone who is— pincher and he was seenho is very loyal to borisjohnson that's— who is very loyal to borisjohnson that's possibly why he was chosen for this— that's possibly why he was chosen for this role even though it seems like it— for this role even though it seems like it was— for this role even though it seems like it was totally inappropriate that he — like it was totally inappropriate that he be in charge of mps discipline as well as mps welfare and they— discipline as well as mps welfare and they become too slow to remove the tory— and they become too slow to remove the tory whip from them last week of the tory whip from them last week of the allegations came out on thursday and i the allegations came out on thursday and i think— the allegations came out on thursday and i think it should been obvious to most— and i think it should been obvious to most people that he should be suspended as a tory mp but it wasn't until the _ suspended as a tory mp but it wasn't until the next day that that finally happened and i th

borisjohnson had been told of a similar complaint before he'd given chris pincher a job in his team.he story given to ministers to tell the rest of us. i've been given a categorical assurance that the prime minister was not aware of any specific allegation or complaint made against the former deputy chief whip chris pincher. it took a former civil servant to force the government to tell the truth. the categorical assurance was wrong. what do you make of that? i do not think that is the way to behave. i found the...the allegationsl concerning the former deputy chief whip and then l the response to that, i just... i'm afraid it was... i'd reached the end of the road. - a minister was sent out badly briefed with things which turned out to be untrue, and clearly you can't lie your way through crises, you've got to tell the truth. someone who was a senior minister until a few days ago at least told me you could argue that the mess around chris pincher was sordid but not disastrous — yet it confirmed a view for most people round here that the downing street operation just wasn't working. a