Boris Johnson today led a miserable-looking meeting of his Cabinet as his officials and allies were accused of lying to the nation.
The Prime Minister gave a speech about how “the Government is firmly on the side of the British people” to cameras at 10 Downing Street. But ministers looked on glumly as No10 battles the fallout over Chris Pincher, the Deputy Chief Whip who resigned over claims he groped two men.
Those next to him included Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey, who insisted the PM was not “aware of specific claims” before making Mr Pincher Deputy Chief Whip in the February 2022 reshuffle.
Since then it’s emerged a formal complaint about Mr Pincher was made in 2019 and, according to a former top mandarin, Boris Johnson was briefed in person about it.
In an explosive letter today, Sir Simon McDonald said No10 are “still not telling the truth” about Mr Pincher, or what the PM knew about him.
Lord McDonald added: “They need to come clean. The language is ambiguous. It’s sort of telling the truth and crossing your fingers at the same time.”
The details of the 2019 allegation are not clear. Mr Pincher has strenuously denied multiple allegations of inappropriate behaviour dating back years.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said Boris Johnson "refused to act and then lied about what he knew”, accusing him of “desperate attempts to cover up”.
Lib Dem MP Layla Moran added: “Boris Johnson lied. Again.”
It comes not long after No10 apologised for misleading the press over Partygate.
So what exactly have Boris Johnson’s officials and ministers been saying about the Pincher case?
And more importantly, how have they changed their tune as more evidence has come out? We take you through it step by step…
Thursday 8pm
Moments after Chris Pincher resigns as Deputy Chief Whip, a Tory source says he will not face any inquiry or disciplinary process.
The source tells the Daily Mail: “The PM thinks he's done the decent thing by resigning.
“There is no need for an investigation and no need to suspend the whip”.
Friday 9am
Quizzed by the Mirror, Tory sources admit Mr Pincher’s appointment was referred to the Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team back in February 2022.
But one source insists the Prime Minister “was not aware”, while another insists the “appointment was cleared by the civil service - they cleared it so the appropriate checks were made.”
Friday 11.30am
In an on-record briefing for journalists, the PM’s deputy official spokesman repeatedly claims he was not aware of “any allegations” about Mr Pincher back in February.
After saying it at least twice, the spokesman the corrects himself to say “specific allegations”.
Asked if the PM was urged not to make Mr Pincher deputy chief whip earlier this year, he replies: “I don’t believe that’s the case. The Prime Minister was not aware before the appointment.
“You know in terms of ministerial appointments they are all looked at, and there was no basis to stop it.”
Later he repeats: “I’m saying the PM was not aware before the appointment.” Not aware of what, journalists ask? He replies: “Any allegations”.
For the avoidance of doubt, he then says again: “The Prime Minister was not aware of any allegation before the appointment was made.
“And there was no basis to stop the appointment.”
The spokesman clarifies his comments to say “specific allegations”, rather than any allegations of any kind, but at this point it’s still unclear what he means.
He adds: “In the absence of any formal complaint it was not appropriate to stop an appointment on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations.”
Asked when the PM first become aware, he replies: “I’m obviously not going to get into timelines or any private conversations the PM’s had.”
Sunday 8.30am
Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey is sent out to defend Boris Johnson on the traditional round of Sunday morning political TV shows.
She deflects several questions about Mr Pincher’s conduct, telling Sky News: “I’m just not part of that sort of kind of chatter group as it were.”
But on what the Prime Minister knew, she appears to have been given a reassurance by 10 Downing Street.
She tells Sky News: “I’m not aware that he was made aware about specific claims about any particular incident. I don’t believe he was aware.
“But you were asking more about more general rumours and I have no ideas what conversations have been had.
“I just am aware that the Prime Minister was not aware of specific claims that have been made.”
In a carefully-worded defence, she adds: “The leadership qualities of the Prime Minister are very evident.”
Sunday 12pm
No10 sources decline to say whether the Prime Minister joked Mr Pincher was ‘Pincher by name, pincher by nature’.
Instead they point back to what was said on Friday.
Monday 7am
Junior Minister Will Quince is sent out to defend the government and insists he’s been “categorically assured” by the No10 press office that the PM was not aware.
He tells Sky News: “I anticipated this question, I spoke to Number 10, both yesterday and this morning, and I asked firmly and clearly for an explanation as to what had happened.
“And I have 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."
Monday 11.30am
Another on-record briefing is held for Westminster journalists - and this time, Downing Street has shifted the line.
Clarifying what the PM knew in February 2022, his official spokesman says he was in fact aware of “some allegations” that were “either resolved or did not progress”.
He says: “At the time of the appointment the Prime Minister was not aware of any specific allegations being looked at.
“This was an individual who had already served as a minister and under other Prime Ministers.
“In the absence of a formal complaint it was not appropriate to stop an appointment on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations.
“Now, the Prime Minister was aware of media reports that others had seen over the years and some allegations that were either resolved or did not progress to a formal complaint.”
Somewhat bizarrely, he claims the No10 line has not changed.
Tuesday 7am
Deputy PM Dominic Raab confirms Chris Pincher was investigated over alleged "inappropriate" behaviour nearly three years ago.
He said Mr Pincher's alleged actions in October 2019 - which have not been spelt out publicly - did not result in disciplinary action and the case was closed.
He admits himself, the head of the Foreign Office, the Chief Whip, and the Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team were all involved at the time.
Mr Raab is unable to say whether or not Mr Johnson knew about the 2019 investigation. He says: “I updated and reported to the Chief Whip, so that he was aware given the wider responsibility the chief whip has.
"But I wouldn't have expected something which didn't merit a formal process, let alone a formal sanction, to go directly and report that back to the Prime Minister."
Tuesday 7.30am
In a dynamite letter Sir Simon McDonald, a former top mandarin, says Boris Johnson was briefed in person on alleged wrongdoing by Tory Chris Pincher after the 2019 probe.
"I have written to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards - because No 10 keep changing their story and are still not telling the truth," the respected peer blasts.
“They need to come clean. The language is ambiguous. It’s sort of telling the truth and crossing your fingers at the same time.”
Tuesday 11.30am
Downing Street finally admitted the Prime Minister WAS told of TWO separate allegations against the top Tory, once in 2020 and once in 2022, before making him Deputy Chief Whip.
The first briefing came after an October 2019 Foreign Office investigation into Mr Pincher - which involved the Foreign Secretary, head of the Foreign Office, Chief Whip, and an ethics team in the Cabinet Office.
No10 confirmed the 2019 complaint against Mr Pincher was “upheld”, though it did not lead to formal disciplinary action, and said Mr Johnson was briefed verbally about it in 2020.
The spokesman also confirmed Mr Johnson was told about a second, separate set of allegations in February 2022 when giving Mr Pincher a whips’ job.
This second set of allegations went to the Propriety and Ethics Team (PET) in the Cabinet Office on the day of the reshuffle.
Tory sources had previously suggested PET signed off the appointment. One said on Friday that the appointment was “cleared by the civil service - they cleared it, so the appropriate checks were made”.
But the PM’s official spokesman contradicted this, saying PET does not clear appointments - it only provides advice. The decision was made by the Prime Minister and his aides.
No10 denied misleading the press - instead saying Boris Johnson had forgotten he was briefed when he spoke to aides on Friday.
