Pincher has admitted sexual misconduct yet remains free to attend Parliament – this can’t be right

A Tory MP, Chris Pincher, has resigned as Deputy Chief Whip after reports he drunkenly fondled two men.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations and the tacit admission in his resignation, Pincher retains the Conservative whip and is staying on as an MP.

Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect which represents workers in Parliament, responded:

“When will Parliament finally start taking the safety of its staff seriously? We seem unable to go a week without yet another revelation of appalling sexual misconduct by MPs, yet Parliament – as an employer – fails to take assertive action to protect its employees, MPs’ staff and indeed other MPs.

“Unions have been leading the campaign for a serious inquiry into how Parliament deals with these individuals, but at every turn it has sought to dodge the issue. The forthcoming Speaker’s Conference should be looking at this as a matter of urgency.

“This latest case saw an MP admit his own sexually inappropriate behaviour, resign from his frontbench role, but retain the whip and his access to the parliamentary estate. Nothing prevents Mr Pincher from attending Westminster and interacting with staff and visitors. This is not a political matter, it is one of staff safety, and Parliament must act immediately to prevent MPs accused of sexual offences from accessing the parliamentary estate.”