A cabinet minister and No 10 aide have been accused of “assaulting” and “groping” 2 women
Written by Amy Beecham
Following sexual misconduct claims surrounding MP Chris Pincher earlier this year, two more women have alleged that they were assaulted and groped by political figures, both now in senior roles within the government.
Content warning: this article contains descriptions of sexual assault and harassment.
Just a few months after the ’Pinchergate’ scandal that revealed that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was aware of sexual misconduct claims surrounding MP Chris Pincher when he made him deputy chief whip, a cabinet minister and a No 10 aide have also been accused of sexual assault and “groping” two female staffers.
As part of a Sky News investigation, one former parliamentary staff member for the Conservative party relayed details of a sexual assault by an MP who is currently a cabinet minister. Detailing the experience to Sky News’s The Open Secret podcast, she said: “I was sexually assaulted by someone who’s now a cabinet minister, and I was in my early 20s and didn’t really know how to deal with it. I was super drunk.”
The victim went on to describe how he “fed her more wine” when she was “obviously tanked” before the alleged assault occurred. “After a while, I was like, ‘You know what, would you mind if I just went to bed?’ So I went to bed. But obviously he didn’t leave me alone. And then I woke up the next morning and I realised what had happened,” she shared.
A second woman, a former Conservative aide, has also claimed that she was groped by a senior No 10 employee before his appointment to a top job. She says that despite her multiple complaints against him, he remained in the role.
She said: “I heard that he was going to get a job in Downing Street. I raised it with a number of people. Nothing happened. So I then formally complained to the Cabinet Office. I just felt the responsibility to do it again, partly because the office he’s going to be working in is full of women. And I just thought he’d do it again.”
She also alleged that on hearing of the allegation, the man’s boss dismissed it on the grounds that the accused person was “good looking and had women throwing themselves at him”.
In response to the reports, aConservative party spokesperson told Sky News: “We have an established code of conduct and complaints procedure where people can report complaints in confidence. We take any complaint seriously.
“If an allegation of criminal wrongdoing is raised, we would always advise the individual to contact the police.”
Stylist has reached out to Downing Street for further comment.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help and support, you can call the Rape Crisis national helpline on 0808 802 9999 (open 12pm – 2.30pm and 7pm – 9.30pm daily). You can also find your nearest centre or visit the website for more information.
Images: Getty
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