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Jul 5 • 3 tweets • 2 min read
NEW: Following our report last night, the former head of the diplomatic service Simon McDonald has written to the Standards Commissioner accusing No10 of not telling the truth and confirming a formal complaint was made about Pincher at the Foreign Office.
Simon McDonald confirms our story that Boris Johnson was briefed about the process *and the outcome* of this complaint, says Pincher deceived him and others, and says just because an issue was “resolved” that doesn’t mean somehow Pincher was cleared - in fact the opposite.
I’ll be talking about the latest on this story from 10 on @BBCWomansHour, then #PoliticsLive and @BBCNews TV, radio and online throughout the day.

Follow along on the BBC’s live page here too bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-p…

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More from @ionewells

Ione Wells Profile picture
Jul 4
🚨 Exclusive: Boris Johnson was made aware of a formal complaint about Chris Pincher's "inappropriate behaviour" while Mr Pincher was a Foreign Office minister from 2019-20, the BBC News can reveal.

More from me on BBC News at 10 tonight 📺

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
This raises fresh questions about why Mr Pincher was appointed earlier this year as a deputy chief whip when Boris Johnson had knowledge of these allegations.

They led to a *formal government process*, which ended in a report confirming misconduct.
As ever, if you’ve witnessed any behaviour in Westminster regarding this story - or others - my DMs and emails are open 📧
Read 5 tweets
Ione Wells Profile picture
Jul 1
🚨 New: Tory MP tells me they personally raised concerns about Mr Pincher’s behaviour to senior figures in No10 and the Conservative Party - including Chief Whip Chris Heaton-Harris, Nigel Adams, government whips and one of the prime minister’s top advisers Ben Gascoigne.
Speaking about raising concerns, they said: “Loads [of us] did when he was in frame for Chief Whip and he never got it. There were concerns, none of us had proof we could use. Pincher should have the whip suspended and a by-election.”
No10 have said as things stand he would face no further action and keep the party whip. Though understand some in government have personally raised concerns about this line, and think he should lose it.
Read 4 tweets
Ione Wells Profile picture
Jun 30
Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher resigns saying he drank “far too much” and embarrassed himself and other people last night. Understand he was drinking at the Tory private members club - the Carlton Club. Behaviour was witnessed by a number of other Tories. Image
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
Mr Pincher was drinking at the Carlton Club, the Tory members club in Piccadilly. Dozens of people were present there in a small room with a bar, including other MPs, ministers, Carlton Club officials and people working in PR. Eyewitnesses say he was seen “incredibly drunk.”
Read 4 tweets
Ione Wells Profile picture
Jun 28
New: Downing St tonight (on calls from the Defence Secretary for an increase to defence spending) say they can't "re-write the budget in mid-June", and that the chancellor has repeatedly warned ministers in cabinet they can't reopen spending rounds.
They don't deny teams spoke with Defence, regarding Ben Wallace's speech where he called for defence spending to be boosted beyond 2% of GDP, but deny it was an 'intervention' to water down some lines - instead saying all ministerial speeches get run by No10.
No10's argument is that the UK is already exceeding the NATO 2% of GDP defence spending target, and have been spending more like 2.3% given Ukraine, but that Ben Wallace is arguing a "robust and assertive" case for more money for his budget in public.
Read 5 tweets
Ione Wells Profile picture
Jan 14
🚨A flavour of some reaction from Tory MPs today:

One elected 2019: "Last night I was getting emails into my inbox every minute from Tory activists & Tory voters. Out of 250 emails I received yesterday, only 5 said leave Boris Johnson alone. The rest were saying his time is up."
One senior Tory said they have had 200+angry emails against the PM vs 5 in support, some from party members and adds: "Many colleagues now believe Boris won’t be leader at next general election...for many of us this feels terminal."
One Brexiteer Tory MP says: "There will be a fair amount of congregating at the beginning of next week when we are back to work out how we are going to bring this to an end. People have resolved increasingly that he has to go... just a case of how it happens and when it happens."
Read 9 tweets
Ione Wells Profile picture
Sep 20, 2021
A senior Labour MP has told the BBC she is frustrated with the “oxygen” that the row over Rosie Duffield’s views on transgender issues was getting.

She added: "It's all the same arguments as the gay panic in the 80s rehashed."

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
She said: "It's being used as a wedge issue despite it affecting a tiny number of people overall, and making almost no difference whatsoever to wider society who will be unaffected just as they're unaffected by whether gay people can get married, teach in schools."
She said: “Let's talk about how every single trans person awaiting NHS treatment is having their rights to see a specialist in 18 wks under the NHS constitution breached... rather than whether Rosie Duffield thinks everyone should have their genitals checked to go to the toilet.”
Read 4 tweets

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