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Corbyn would have been better PM than Johnson, says Starmer

The Labour leader said that a landlord would not be able to get a final offer on rent from one possible tenant, then go to a second and ask them to bid something higher, and so on…reports Asian Lite News

Keir Starmer has said that Jeremy Corbyn would have made a better prime minister than Boris Johnson. The Labour leader made the comment in a special BBC Question Time programme in which he was pinned down over his past support for Corbyn.

Keir first refused five times to stand by his comment made in the run up to the 2019 election that Mr Corbyn, his predecessor as Labour leader, would have made a “great prime minister”.

But he eventually said: “He would be a better prime minister… look what we got, Boris Johnson, a man who made massive promises, didn’t keep them, and then had to leave parliament in disgrace.”

The comment is eye-catching since Keir has in recent years repeatedly distanced himself from Corbyn, a Left-winger who has since been forced out of the Labour Party. Corbyn is standing as an independent candidate at this election.

During the BBC programme, the Labour leader, who was booed as he entered the studio, claimed that too many homeowners were ‘ripping off’ their tenants. and he said they would be banned by law from accepting the highest offer of rent from potential tenants after “bidding wars”.

Keir said that landlords would not be allowed to go back and forth between potential tenants getting final offers, driving up the rent. He said that legislation would be tabled to bring about the change if Labour wins office, meaning that the new rules would be legally enforceable.

However, repeatedly pressed by Fiona Bruce, the BBC presenter, about how exactly the plan would work he gave few other details.

Keir said: “We have to stop the landlords ripping off tenants who are doing this bidding war: who’ll pay more until people are paying through the roof. We have to end that. We can pass legislation to say you can’t do it because it’s driving rents through the roof and it’s not fair. It’s taking advantage.”

On Thursday night, four political leaders were each grilled for 30 minutes on the BBC programme: Keir, Rishi Sunak, Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, and John Swinney, the SNP leader.

The Labour leader was also pinned down on the change in his position on trans issues, and faced criticism over his plans to apply VAT on private school fees. Describing his desire to bring in a law on how landlords can act in the rental market, Sir Keir said: “We can’t have this bidding war like this. We have to have a scheme in place to stop them driving rents up and up. Lots of renters are paying huge deposits and we have to stop that as well.”

The Labour leader said that a landlord would not be able to get a final offer on rent from one possible tenant, then go to a second and ask them to bid something higher, and so on.

The aim is to stop landlords from bounding tenants off each other in a way that artificially raises rents. But the full details of how the policy would work remains unclear.

Keir was challenged on his past support for Corbyn, the Left-wing Labour leader for the 2017 and 2019 election who has been forced out of the party.

At one point Bruce asked Keir to answer “yes or no” whether he was telling the truth when saying in the past that in 2019 Mr Corbyn would make a “great prime minister”.

Keir did not give a yes-no answer and the audience laughed. He defended his past position by saying: “In 2019 I campaigned for the Labour Party as I’ve always campaigned for the Labour Party. I wanted good colleagues returned to parliament.”

Keir also, after repeated pressing, admitted that NHS waiting lists may not return to normal years until five years into a Labour government.

The Labour leader at first declined to answer when asked at what time the public could know they would get an NHS appointment in under a month. Keir said “we will start the work on waiting lists on day one in government”, and later “we will get those operations going as quickly as we can with staff”.

ALSO READ-Sunak, Starmer face TV grilling by unhappy voters

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Sunak’s attempt to ban smoking is nuts, says Johnson

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden.

Johnson attacked the policy at the Canada Strong and Free conference in Ottawa, where he appeared on a panel with the former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott and the political commentator John O’Sullivan…reports Asian Lite News

Boris Johnson has attacked Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban, calling it “absolutely nuts” in a lament about the state of the Conservative party in Britain.

Speaking at an event in Canada on Wednesday night, Johnson said it was “mad” that the party of Winston Churchill was “banning cigars”.

The government is passing legislation to end smoking by increasing the legal age to buy tobacco each year. Sunak announced the plan at the Conservative party conference last year and has presented it as part of his political legacy.

Johnson attacked the policy at the Canada Strong and Free conference in Ottawa, where he appeared on a panel with the former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott and the political commentator John O’Sullivan.

Johnson said: “When I look at some of the things we are doing now, or that are being done in the name of conservatism, I think they’re absolutely nuts.

“We’re banning cigars. What is the point of banning – the party of Winston Churchill wants to ban cigars … Donnez moi un break, as they say in Quebec. It’s just mad.”

There have been suggestions that Johnson will return to the campaign trail to help the Conservatives at the general election, expected to take place in the autumn. But the former prime minister’s intervention casts doubt on whether he is minded to help his successor, with whom he has a difficult relationship. Johnson’s allies hold Sunak responsible for helping bring about his resignation in the summer of 2022.

Sunak’s proposed smoking ban would make it illegal for anyone turning 15 or younger this year to ever be able to buy tobacco products. The policy has faced criticism from the libertarian wing of the Conservative party.

MPs are expected to be given a free vote on the proposed law when it comes to the Commons on 16 April. Given the government and the Labour party are in favour of the plan, it is expected to pass.

A similar law had been due to come into effect in New Zealand in July, but was repealed by the country’s new coalition government in February.

Johnson told the audience: “The difference between us conservatives and our opponents is that every time, their instincts are always about control and exploitation and coercion, and taking your money and spending it on your behalf and regulating your life – and we are, on the whole, in favour of freedom. It’s that single Anglo-Saxon idea of freedom that I think unites conservatives – or should unite conservatives.”

Johnson said he hoped the Tory party in the UK would be “transfused with the Canadians’ can-do spirit and turn things around in the next few months”. The conservatives in Canada have enjoyed a resurgence in the past two years under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre.

At the event in Ottawa, Johnson also spoke in favour of supporting Ukraine and Israel. He also said he had changed his mind on climate change over the years and defended policies to tackle it and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“Let me tell you, elections are won by the party that really owns the future. And I’m full of excitement about what’s happening here in Canada, but I think that people want to see there’s a plan and a programme to deal with this problem in a proper conservative way,” he said.

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Johnson, Morrison in Israel amid ongoing conflict  

According to the latest updates on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari has said the forces are determined to continue to operate against Hamas…reports Asian Lite News

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison have arrived in Israel to showcase support for Tel Aviv amid its ongoing conflict with Hamas, The Times of Israel reported.

During their visit, Johnson and Morrison will reportedly meet Israel President Isaac Herzog and family members of hostages held in Gaza. The two leaders will also visit southern Gaza border towns that have been devastated by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, according to The Times of Israel report.

Former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon has hosted the visit of Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison. He said that Morrison and Johnson will meet Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers and southern communities of Israel.

In a post shared on X, Danny Danon stated, “Early this morning, at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, I received my friends Boris Johnson, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Scott Morrison, the former Prime Minister of Australia – both true friends of Israel. During the day we will visit Israel’s Southern communities and meet with our heroic IDF soldiers. On behalf of all the people of Israel, we thank you for your steadfast support.”

Scott Morrison said he was “thankful for the opportunity to join former prime minister Johnson in coming to Israel as a demonstration of solidarity with the people and State of Israel and the Jewish community throughout the world.” He called it an opportunity to understand firsthand what is happening on the ground, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Morrison said, “It is an opportunity to understand firsthand what is occurring on the ground, honour those who have been lost, show support to those who have suffered and are now engaged in this terrible conflict and discuss how to move forward,” according to The Sydney Morning Herald report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a private meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. In a statement shared on X, Israel Prime Minister’s Office stated, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently holding a private meeting with British Prime Minister @RishiSunak at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. The leaders will also hold an expanded meeting, at the conclusion of which they will issue statements to the media.”

According to the latest updates on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari has said the forces are determined to continue to operate against Hamas.

In a post on social media platform X, the IDF wrote, quoting Hagari, “They are strong. They are determined. They are prepared. They know what they are fighting for.”

“Our forces continue to operate against Hamas’ leadership and infrastructure in northern Gaza,” he added.The IDF also claimed that Hamas hides within the intricate network of “tunnels.”

“While Hamas obstructs their civilians from getting to safety in southern Gaza, Hamas hides within their intricate network of tunnels,” the IDF posted on X.”IDF troops uncovered multiple access points during operational activity in northern Gaza,” it added. (ANI)

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Johnson said old people should accept Covid fate, note shows

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden.

The former prime minister, as well as his successor Rishi Sunak, are due to give evidence to the inquiry later this autumn…reports Asian Lite News

Boris Johnson agreed with some Tory MPs who thought Covid was “nature’s way of dealing with old people”, the inquiry into the pandemic has been told.

The allegation comes from diary entries by former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. Meanwhile, ex-adviser Dominic Cummings told the inquiry the government had no plan and was in “complete chaos”.

The inquiry was also shown offensive messages sent by Cummings about cabinet ministers and top officials. Lee Cain, No 10’s former communications director, said the pandemic was the “wrong crisis” for Mr Johnson and he was a “challenging character to work with” because he kept changing his mind.

The government’s handling of the Covid crisis was laid bare in a day of candid testimony by the prime minister’s former advisers. At one point, the inquiry was shown notes by Sir Patrick, who wrote of his frustrations in dealing with Johnson in his diaries.

In August 2020, Sir Patrick wrote that Johnson was “obsessed with older people accepting their fate and letting the young get on with life and the economy going”. “Quite bonkers set of exchanges,” he said, referring to messages exchanged between Mr Johnson and others in a WhatsApp group.

In later notes from December 2020, Sir Patrick wrote that Johnson said his party “thinks the whole thing is pathetic and Covid is just nature’s way of dealing with old people – and I am not entirely sure I disagree with them”.

Another note from December says Johnson agreed with the Conservative Party’s Chief Whip Mark Spencer when he said “we should let the old people get it and protect others”.

Spencer wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he “actually said exactly the opposite” – that only elderly people should be protected at that point – and was “appalled” to hear the comment attributed to him.

“During the first and second waves of the pandemic the UK had one of the highest death tolls per person in the world from Covid-19 and it’s clear just how personally responsible for that he was,” Doherty said. Johnson’s spokesman has so far declined to comment on the evidence given at this week’s hearings, but says he is “co-operating fully” with the inquiry.

The former prime minister, as well as his successor Rishi Sunak, are due to give evidence to the inquiry later this autumn.

Sir Patrick’s notes were shown during Mr Cain’s testimony, which followed evidence on Monday from Imran Shafi and Martin Reynolds, another two of Johnson’s aides. Cain repeatedly cited Johnson’s tendency to “oscillate” between decisions as delaying the crisis response.

The former journalist and Brexit campaigner said he found Johnson’s style of operating “rather exhausting from time to time”. Cain said he was frustrated when the prime minister announced “we were going to turn the tide in 12 weeks” at a press conference early on in the pandemic.

When asked if he agreed with the view that Mr Johnson was not “up to the job”, Mr Cain said: “That’s quite a strong thing to say. What would probably be clear in Covid – it was the wrong crisis for this prime minister’s skill set.”

In his testimony, Cummings did not mince his words as he gave a withering account of his time in government at the height of the pandemic. Appearing in white shirt and tie, he apologised for berating ministers in expletive-laden texts, but said his language only “understated” their incompetence.

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UK govt to launch legal bid to stop Covid inquiry on Johnson  

Opposition parties have accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government of trying to obstruct the Covid inquiry and urged him to comply with its requests…reports Asian Lite News

The government is to launch an unprecedented legal challenge over the Covid inquiry’s demand for WhatsApp messages and documents.

The government missed a 16:00 deadline to share Boris Johnson’s messages and notebooks from during the pandemic.

It is thought to be the first time a government has taken legal action against its own public inquiry.

Johnson said he would be “more than happy” to give the unredacted material directly to the inquiry’s chair.

The Cabinet Office – the department that supports the prime minister in running the government – had until 16:00 on Thursday to hand over all documents requested by the Covid inquiry.

But the government refused to disclose some of the material by arguing it was not relevant to the inquiry, it would compromise ministers’ right to privacy, and would set a precedent that could prevent ministers discussing policy matters in future.

Crossbench peer and retired judge Baroness Hallett, who is the inquiry’s chair, says it is up to her to decide what material is relevant.

Johnson has not disclosed any WhatsApp messages sent before April 2021 because his mobile phone was involved in a security breach and has not been turned on since, his spokesman said.

The former prime minister has written to the Cabinet Office asking whether security and technical support can be given so that content can be retrieved without compromising security, the spokesman added.

In a highly unusual move announced after the 16:00 deadline had passed, the Cabinet Office said it would seek a judicial review of Baroness Hallett’s order to release the documents.

This means a judge will have to decide whether the inquiry has overreached its legal powers – setting up a potential legal showdown in court just weeks before the inquiry is due to hold its first public hearings.

Elkan Abrahamson, the lawyer representing the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, said: “The Cabinet Office is showing utter disregard for the inquiry in maintaining their belief that they are the higher power and arbiter of what is relevant material and what is not.

“It raises questions about the integrity of the inquiry and how open and transparent it will be if the chair is unable to see all of the material.”

Opposition parties have accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government of trying to obstruct the Covid inquiry and urged him to comply with its requests.

Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, branded the legal challenge a “desperate attempt to withhold evidence” and said “these latest smoke-and-mirror tactics serve only to undermine the Covid Inquiry”.

The Liberal Democrats said the legal challenge was “a kick in the teeth for bereaved families who’ve already waited far too long for answers”.

Some senior Conservative MPs had urged the government to back down to avoid a lengthy legal battle with the Covid inquiry.

Science minister George Freeman defended the decision to take legal action, while conceding he personally thought a defeat in the courts was likely.

ALSO READ-Johnson hands over Covid-era WhatsApps  

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Johnson hands over Covid-era WhatsApps  

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden.

The inquiry will cover the government’s management of the pandemic, particularly at the beginning when Britain was slower than many European countries to respond…reports Asian Lite News

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given his pandemic-era notebooks and messages to the government and urged officials to pass them on to an independent COVID-19 inquiry, his spokesman said on Wednesday.

The Cabinet Office, which is responsible for overseeing the operation of government, is in a standoff with the inquiry over whether it should hand over material it deems to be irrelevant to the investigation.

“All Boris Johnson’s material – including WhatsApps and notebooks – requested by the COVID inquiry has been handed to the Cabinet Office in full and in unredacted form,” the spokesman’s statement said.

“Mr Johnson urges the Cabinet Office to urgently disclose it to the inquiry.”

After Britain recorded one of the world’s highest number of COVID deaths, Johnson’s government in 2021 ordered an inquiry into the country’s preparedness as well as its public health and economic response.

With a national election expected next year, the detailed examination of decision making could be politically uncomfortable for both Johnson and current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was finance minister during the pandemic.

The inquiry will cover the government’s management of the pandemic, particularly at the beginning when Britain was slower than many European countries to respond.

Chaired by former judge Heather Hallett, the inquiry had given the government until Thursday afternoon to hand over Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and diaries.

The Cabinet Office did not immediately respond for a request for comment. In a statement issued on Tuesday, it said: “We are firmly of the view that the inquiry does not have the power to request unambiguously irrelevant information that is beyond the scope of this investigation. This includes the WhatsApp messages of government employees which are not about work but instead are entirely personal and relate to their private lives.”

Johnson, whose personal conduct during the COVID-19 pandemic has been heavily criticised and who incurred a police fine for breaking lockdown regulations, said he would cooperate with the inquiry in full.

“While Mr Johnson understands the government’s position, and does not seek to contradict it, he is perfectly happy for the inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires,” the spokesman said.

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Johnson may face probe again after fresh ‘Partygate’ claims

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said the material was identified “as part of the normal disclosure review of potentially relevant documents being undertaken by the legal team for inquiry witnesses”…reports Asian Lite News

Former prime minister Boris Johnson is facing further potential police investigations into the “Partygate” scandal, after a government ministry handed two police forces material about alleged Covid lockdown breaches it emerged Tuesday.

London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed it was “assessing” new information it has received over the last week related to “potential breaches” of the coronavirus rules in Downing Street between June 2020 and May 2021.

Meanwhile The Times, which broke the story, said Thames Valley Police was also analysing new evidence related to possible rule-breaking at Chequers, the prime minister’s country estate of outside London.

Multiple sources told the newspaper that the alleged breaches involved Johnson’s family as well as his friends. A source close to the former leader denied this to the paper.

Johnson, 58, was ousted as prime minister last summer following a revolt within his ruling party after being dogged for months by the accusations of lockdown breaches and other scandals.

He repeatedly denied in parliament, and elsewhere, that he or his staff had breached his own pandemic era restrictions by holding boozy gatherings in Downing Street.

But the Met issued fines to dozens of aides after a criminal probe, and Johnson became the first serving prime minister found to have broken the law, over one of the gatherings.

The ex-leader is currently being investigated by a parliamentary committee over whether he lied to MPs about “Partygate”, in a process that could ultimately trigger his removal as a lawmaker.

The spectre of new police probes follows the Cabinet Office, which supports prime ministers and ensures the effective running of government, passing the two forces new “information”.

It “came to light” as the ministry prepares for a public inquiry into the country’s pandemic response.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said the material was identified “as part of the normal disclosure review of potentially relevant documents being undertaken by the legal team for inquiry witnesses”.

“In-line with obligations in the Civil Service Code, this material has been passed to the relevant authorities and it is now a matter for them,” the spokesperson added.

A spokesman for Johnson said: “Some abbreviated entries in Mr Johnson’s official diary were queried by the Cabinet Office during preparation for the Covid inquiry.”

He added the former leader’s lawyers wrote to the Cabinet Office, and the parliamentary committee probing him, “explaining that the events were lawful and were not breaches of any Covid regulations”.

His team told The Times that the referrals were “clearly politically motivated attempt to manufacture something out of nothing”.

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Johnson grilled over lockdown-era parties

Boris Johnson VE75. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson viewing the RAF Chapel in Westminster Abbey on the eve of 75th Anniversary of VE Day. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

The ex-PM accepted that he misled the Commons but denies he did so on purpose, arguing that he relied on the advice of senior staff…reports Asian Lite News

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was grilled by a cross-party parliamentary panel for several hours on Wednesday to establish whether he knowingly misled the House of Commons over the party gate scandal of COVID law-breaking parties at Downing Street, reported China Daily.

Johnson was asked repeatedly whether he attended parties, broke lockdown rules, misled Parliament, and should resign. Johnson denied deliberately lying, but if found to have done so, he could face suspension or even lose his seat in Parliament.

He told the committee that the rule-breaking events were wrong and “I bitterly regret it,” but added, “hand on heart, that I did not lie to the House.”

Johnson swears to “tell the truth and nothing but the truth” on a bible at the start of the session.

Committee Chair Harriet Harman kicked off by emphasising the panel leave party affiliations at the door – Johnson has accused them of being biased.

Harman continued to define the scope of the committee’s work.

She said that the panel is looking at whether Johnson’s statements were accurate, and how “quickly and comprehensively” any misleading statements he made were corrected.

The question is whether any errors were rectified in “good time”, she said.

The ex-PM accepted that he misled the Commons but denies he did so on purpose, arguing that he relied on the advice of senior staff.

Harman said that Johnson spoke about the question of Covid compliance in No 10 in the House of Commons more than 30 times.

She said that most particularly on the dates 1 December 2021, 8 December 2021 and 25 May 2022.

The former prime minister, whose exit from 10 Downing Street last year had been hastened by the party gate scandal, repeatedly denied COVID lockdown rules were broken within government quarters when asked in the Commons. (ANI)

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Johnson admits misleading in ‘partygate’ scandal

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends a press conference in London, Britain, May 25, 2022.(Xinhua/IANS)

When revelations of booze-fueled parties in 2020 and 2021 at Downing Street first emerged in late 2021, Johnson initially said that no rules had been broken…reports Asian Lite News

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted that the Parliament was “misled” by his statements on rule-breaking government parties held during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I accept that the House of Commons was misled by my statements that the rules and guidance had been followed completely at No.10,” Johnson said on Tuesday.

“But when the statements were made, they were made in good faith and on the basis of what I honestly knew and believed at the time,” he added in written evidence published a day ahead of an interrogation by lawmakers over the “partygate” scandal.

Johnson was forced to resign in July last year over a string of scandals. These included partygate, and Johnson’s appointment of Chris Pincher, who has been accused of sexual misconduct. Johnson’s resignation, followed by Liz Truss’ short-lived premiership will be remembered as a summer of political chaos for the UK, Xinhua news agency reported.

When revelations of booze-fueled parties in 2020 and 2021 at Downing Street first emerged in late 2021, Johnson initially said that no rules had been broken. He later apologised and said there had been “misjudgments,” as he mistook those parties for work events.

Johnson’s claims are currently being investigated by the cross-party Committee of Privileges. A guilty verdict on Wednesday could lead to his suspension from the House of Commons, the lower house of the British parliament.

Meanwhile, MPs investigating Johnson over Partygate will publish new documents later, ahead of a televised hearing crucial to his political future.

The former prime minister is battling accusations he misled Parliament over rule-breaking lockdown parties in Downing Street during his tenure.

He has admitted his initial assurances in 2021 that Covid rules were followed completely did mislead MPs. But he says this was not deliberate and that the hearing will vindicate him.

The former premier, who was ousted from office last year after a string of scandals, faces being potentially suspended if MPs decide he deliberately misled them.

The seven-member Commons privileges committee is investigating whether what Johnson told Parliament stopped it from properly holding him to account.

He is expected to be flanked by members of his taxpayer-funded legal team, with whom he will be able to confer during the session. Mr Johnson also hopes to have some of his supporters in the room.

However, he will have to answer questions himself, and will take an oath on the King James bible before the hearing begins.

Before the hearing, at 09.00 GMT the committee will publish a “core bundle” of evidence that is expected to be referred to during the hearing.

All the evidence amassed by the committee, including written statements from 23 witnesses, official diaries, and emails between officials, has already been handed over to Mr Johnson’s legal team.

His lawyers have given the committee 46 WhatsApp messages between the former prime minister and five unnamed people.

Media stories about staff parties in Downing Street when Covid rules banned socialising indoors began to emerge in late 2021, later becoming known as the Partygate scandal.

On several occasions afterwards, Mr Johnson told the House of Commons that Covid rules had been followed in Downing Street.

But an inquiry by senior official Sue Gray later found rule-breaking had taken place at multiple events, and police issued fines to 83 people, including Mr Johnson himself, for breaching Covid laws.

The committee, chaired by veteran Labour MP Harriet Harman, but with a Conservative majority, said earlier this month that breaches of pandemic guidance would have been “obvious” to him at the time.

However that was rejected by Johnson on Tuesday, in a 52-page document setting out his defence ahead of the TV hearing.

In the submission, he said his assurances to MPs that lockdown rules had been followed were made in “good faith”. He had not “intentionally or recklessly” misled MPs, he added, and would “never have dreamed of doing so”.

He said he had not considered at the time that events he attended himself, including a June 2020 birthday gathering in No 10 for which he was fined, had been in breach of the rules.

For other events he had not attended, he said he had not been told by his officials that they broke the rules – and it was reasonable of him to trust their account.

He also took aim at the committee itself, accusing of departing from the precedents set by previous inquiries.

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Ex-top official targets Johnson’s office

Newspapers have since reported he had faced several previous allegations of sexual misconduct. Pincher, who has been suspended by the Conservative Party, has not responded to requests for comment…reports Asian Lite News

A former top Foreign Office official accused Boris Johnson’s office on Tuesday of lying over whether the British leader knew about earlier complaints of sexual misconduct made against a minister who resigned over his behaviour last week.

The claim will pile further pressure on Johnson over what he knew when he appointed Christopher Pincher to a role involved in enforcing discipline and offering pastoral care in the governing Conservative Party, at a time when many of his lawmakers are increasingly frustrated at his scandal-ridden administration.

“No 10 keep changing their story and are still not telling the truth,” Simon McDonald, who served as Permanent Under-Secretary to the Foreign Office at the time Pincher was a junior minister there, said on Twitter.

McDonald said there was investigation into Pincher in 2019 and that “Mr Johnson was briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of the investigation”.

Pincher resigned as Deputy Chief Whip last week saying he had drunk too much, embarrassed himself and “caused upset” to people. British media reported that Pincher had sexually assaulted two male guests at a London club.

Newspapers have since reported he had faced several previous allegations of sexual misconduct. Pincher, who has been suspended by the Conservative Party, has not responded to requests for comment.

Last week, Johnson’s office said he was not aware of any specific complaints against Pincher before appointing him, before on Monday saying he was aware of “some allegations that were either resolved or did not progress to a formal complaint”.

“In the absence of a formal complaint it was not appropriate to stop an appointment on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations,” Johnson’s spokesman said on Monday.

McDonald said Johnson’s office was making “inaccurate claims”.

“In the summer of 2019, shortly after he was appointed minister of state at the Foreign Office, a group of officials complained to me about Mr Pincher’s behaviour … An investigation upheld the complaint; Mr Pincher apologised and promised not to repeat the inappropriate behaviour,” he said in a letter to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

“Mr Johnson was briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of the investigation,” he added. “Mr Pincher was not exonerated. To characterise the allegations as ‘unsubstantiated’ is therefore wrong.”

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, who was Foreign Secretary at the time of the 2019 complaint against Pincher, said on Tuesday it had not resulted in formal disciplinary action and that he was not aware Johnson had been told about it.

“Pincher deceived me and others in 2019,” McDonald said in the letter, which he posted on Twitter. “He cannot be allowed to use the confidentiality of the process three years ago to pursue his predatory behaviour in other contexts.”

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