Boris Johnson was informed of past complaints against a Tory MP who he made Deputy Chief Whip, according to new reports.
The Prime Minister is facing calls to remove the whip from Chris Pincher who resigned last night following a drunken incident at a private members’ club on London’s Piccadilly on Wednesday night.
Pincher, who was responsible for maintaining discipline among Tory MPs, said he had "embarrassed myself and other people" after having had "far too much" to drink.
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Johnson is now under pressure after it emerged he was aware of allegations about the MP for Tamworth during a reshuffle of his Cabinet in February.
Pincher resigned from the whips's office in 2017 after he referred himself to the police when former Olympic rower Alex Story accused him of an unwanted sexual pass.
He was cleared of wrongdoing over the incident in 2001, before he was an MP, by a Conservative probe.
According to Politico Johnson was made aware of the allegations against Pincher when he was conducting his reshuffle earlier this year.
The PM's chief of staff Steve Barclay refused to sign off the appointment until it had been looked at by the Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team - which then gave Pincher’s job the green light.
Two Tory sources today confirmed to our sister paper the Mirror that the appointment had been referred to the ethics team.
But a Tory source stressed the appointment was "cleared by the civil service", adding: “The appropriate checks were made”.
Pincher will continue to sit as a Tory MP as he was considered to have done the right thing by admitting wrongdoing and resigning.
Wales Secretary Simon Hart said he was "very sad" about the situation, but that it was for Conservative chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris to decide whether to withdraw the whip from Pincher.
The Cabinet minister told Sky News: "This makes me very sad, it makes me sad for everybody who's been involved in these things. It's clearly something which has gone terribly wrong.
"There is a process, I think it's important that the process is followed."
He added: "I think it is entirely right, that the chief whip and others take a view today about what is the appropriate course of action.
"Of course, if there are those who are victims of this or who wish to raise complaint, they can do so."
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