The deputy head of government, Whip, has resigned after a drunken incident in which he “embarrassed myself and other people”.
Chris Pincher, who was responsible for maintaining discipline among Tory MPs, apologized to Boris Johnson, saying it had been “the honor of my life” to have served in government.
The Sun reported that he had resigned after attacking two fellow guests at the Carlton Club, a private Tory Party club in London’s Piccadilly, on Wednesday night.
I’ve embarrassed myself and other people and that’s the last thing I want to do
In his resignation letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Pincher said: “I had far too much to drink last night. I embarrassed myself and other people and that is the last thing I want to do and for that I apologize to you and those involved.
“I think it is appropriate in the circumstances that I resign as Deputy Head Whip. I owe it to you and the people I have upset to do so.
“I want to assure you that you will continue to have my full support from the back benches, and I wish you all the best as you deal with the aftershocks of Covid and the challenges of international inflation.
“It has been the honor of my life to have served in Her Majesty’s Government.”
Mr Pincher’s resignation in such dramatic circumstances is another blow to the Prime Minister, who has been ravaged by allegations of misconduct over lockdown parties in Downing Street.
Labor showed the government was “in a scandal” and wondered how he could stay on as a Tory MP after The Sun reported he would not lose the Conservative whip for admitting wrongdoing and resigning.
Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said: “This latest episode shows how far standards in public life have been compromised under the watchful eye of Boris Johnson.
Boris Johnson has serious questions to answer about why Chris Pincher got this role in the first place and how he can remain a Conservative MP.
“The Conservative Party is viewed with such sloppiness and scandal that it is utterly incapable of meeting the challenges facing the British people.”
Mr Pincher was appointed last February alongside head whip Chris Heaton-Harris to bolster party discipline amid unrest among MPs over the way the government was being run.
It is the second time he has left the whip office, having resigned as a junior whip in November 2017 following a complaint that he had given an unwelcome pass to former Olympic rower and Conservative candidate Alex Story.
After referring to both the police and the Conservative Party grievance procedure, he was brought back as a deputy head whip in January 2018 by Theresa May.
When Mr Johnson became Prime Minister in July 2019, he was transferred to the State Department as Secretary of State for Europe and America before returning to the whips office for a third time.
His departure comes just days after Oliver Dowden stepped down as co-chair of the party in the wake of the wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton by-election losses.
It leaves Mr Johnson, who returned from NATO’s summit on Thursday after nine days abroad, with a new headache with two crucial roles to play.