Midlands Message Read in browser Subscribe to Midlands Message Midlands Message is edited by Richard Guttridge Get in touch at richard.guttridge@reachplc.com Pressure builds on Prime Minister over Chris Pincher allegations Chris Pincher has resigned as the deputy chief whip and had the Tory whip re
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| | Pressure builds on Prime Minister over Chris Pincher allegations | |
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|  | Chris Pincher has resigned as the deputy chief whip and had the Tory whip removed. | |
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| Pressure is building on Boris Johnson to reveal exactly what he knew about allegations surrounding Staffordshire MP Chris Pincher.
Mr Pincher has had the whip removed following allegations he groped two men in a bar last week. Further claims about his behaviour emerged over the weekend, with the Prime Minister being dragged further into the scandal.
Mr Johnson faced criticism for failing to immediately suspend the deputy chief whip and Tamworth MP. It's also been claimed the PM was aware of claims concerning Mr Pincher's behaviour.
The scandal is not what Mr Johnson will have wanted at a time when he was seeking to move on from questions about his leadership, after surviving a confidence vote last month.
It has also raised the prospect of another by-election, after two recent embarrassing losses for the Tories, though Mr Pincher, who has represented Tamworth since 2010, remains an independent MP and has insisted he has no intention to quit.
He resigned as deputy chief whip on Thursday following allegations he groped two men, telling the PM he "drank far too much". He says he is seeking professional medical support and is "truly sorry for the upset I caused".
Questions are already mounting about why Mr Pincher should be allowed to remain as an MP after Neil Parrish was effectively forced out for watching porn in the Commons.
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| | | Local leaders told 'no new money' to level-up region | | | | More questions are being asked about the reality of 'levelling-up' in the West Midlands after local leaders were told there was "unlikely to be any new money" for the region as part of a devolution deal.
Officials at the West Midlands Combined Authority have been left frustrated in their attempts to secure more cash from the Government, effectively being told they will have to manage their own budgets in order to free up extra funds, reports Agenda Editor Richard Guttridge.
The Government insists its levelling-up programme is already beginning to make a difference in the region but critics are questioning how much substance there will be behind the slogan, which has formed a central pillar of Boris Johnson's premiership.
It comes as the Prime Minister faces further scrutiny on his pledge to build 40 new hospitals. The National Audit Office is investigating the validity of the claim.
The 40 include the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick, which was signed off and begun construction long before Mr Johnson set foot in Number 10. | |
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