The FA has launched an investigation into allegations that suspended Premier League referee David Coote discussed giving a yellow card ahead of a match.
Mr Coote booked Leeds player Ezgjan Alioski during a match against West Brom in October 2019.
The Sun claims that the day before, he discussed carding the player with a Leeds fan he’d met online, then after the game messaged him saying: “I hope you backed as discussed.”
Mr Coote insists nothing improper took place, according to The Sun.
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0:11
The previous comments Coote made about Liverpool
An investigation has now been opened to get to the bottom of the claims surrounding the already suspended referee.
Previously, a video emerged showing Mr Coote snorting a white powder.
That came after another video showed Mr Coote in a foul-mouthed rant about Liverpool FC and their then-boss Jurgen Klopp.
After the most recent allegations, a spokesperson for Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) told Sky Sports News: “The facts need to be established in light of these very serious allegations.
“We adopt a zero-tolerance approach to any breach of our Integrity Code of Conduct, which is signed by all match officials on an annual basis.
“PGMOL Board is committed to taking the appropriate action should any breach of that Code be proven.
“David Coote remains suspended and subject to an ongoing disciplinary process by PGMOL, separate to the investigation into this matter which will be carried out independently by The FA.”
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They added: “We will be making no further comment at this stage.”
Mohamed al Fayed’s son Omar says he is “horrified” about the allegations against his late father, saying it has “thrown into question the loving memory I had of him”.
A string of accusations against the billionaire former Harrods and Fulham FC owner, who died last year aged 94, have emerged in recent days following an investigation by the BBC.
The claims include five accusations of rape and multiple allegations of sexual abuse. Among those who have come forward are former staff at the luxury department store in Knightsbridge, central London.
Image: Omar Fayed
Omar Fayed said: “I am horrified and deeply concerned by the allegations recently brought to light against my late father.
“The extent and explicit nature of the allegations are shocking and has thrown into question, the loving memory I had of him.
“How this matter could have been concealed for so long and in so many ways, raises further disturbing questions.”
Omar also said that although he loved his father “very much” and he was a “wonderful dad, that aspect of our relationship… does not blind me from an objective assessment of circumstances”.
He said he stood “unequivocally in support of any legitimate investigation into these allegations”, adding: “The alleged victims and public deserve full transparency and accountability.”
Omar went on: “I will continue to support the principles of truth, justice, accountability, and fairness, regardless of where that journey may lead. No one is above the law.”
Read more: Mohamed al Fayed: Timeline of sex abuse claims Close relationship between Fayed and police ‘felt corrupt’ – ex-detective Fayed accusers say doctor has ‘massive questions to answer’
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18:14
Fayed accusers speak
‘Dozens more survivors come forward’
A group of barristers representing the alleged victims has said there has been an “enormous” response to the investigation.
Justice for Harrods Survivors, headed by lawyers including Dean Armstrong KC, Bruce Drummond, Maria Mulla and Gloria Allred, said there are now “60 survivors” as part of the group’s claim against Harrods, “with more to come”.
The group also said “credible evidence” of abuse had emerged from those working at Fayed’s other businesses, including Fulham FC, which he owned between 1997 and 2013.
It comes after the Metropolitan Police confirmed on Thursday it was investigating a number of new allegations made against Fayed, on top of previous reports made by 19 separate women.
The force said it will carry out “full reviews of all existing allegations” of incidents said to have taken place between 1979 and 2013, to ensure there are “no new lines of inquiry based on new information which has emerged”.
Detectives added while it was not possible to bring criminal proceedings against someone who had died, the force would still “fully explore whether any other individuals could be pursued for any criminal offences”.
What happened about the original complaints?
The Met said the initial complaints made by 19 women were reported to them between 2005 and 2023, including three allegations of rape, 15 sexual assaults and one related to trafficking.
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Police approached the Crown Prosecution Service five times, including two occasions where a file of evidence was passed on in 2009 and 2015.
No further action was taken against Fayed in respect of the original complaints.
The current Harrods managing director Michael Ward has said in a previous statement he was “not aware” of the “criminality and abuse” and described it as a “shameful period in the business’s history”.
Mr Ward apologised and said the business “failed our colleagues”.
A spokesperson for Fulham FC told Sky News: “We remain in the process of establishing whether anyone at the club is or has been affected by the reports concerning Mr Al Fayed.”
They added anyone with information could contact the club or police.
Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has said allegations of abusive behaviour on the show came as a “shock”.
Last weekend, professional dancer Graziano Di Prima said he was leaving the BBC show after claims about his treatment of reality star Zara McDermott – including confirmed reports he kicked her during a rehearsal.
There have also been allegations about the teaching methods of professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, which he has dismissed as “simply false”.
Speaking to radio presenter Lucy Owen on BBC Radio Wales, Revel Horwood said he only found out about the allegations “through the press”.
“For me it’s a shock, and news to me, because the judges are never present at any of the teaching, we literally come in on a Saturday and just judge what we see before us.
“So we’re kept very, very separate to the rest of the company.
“For us it’s complete news. Every day that I read about something I think ‘That can’t be right’, so I’ll wait and see what happens with the investigations, but certainly we have nothing to do with that.”
Asked if he is worried about the future of Strictly, he added: “I don’t think so because it’s one of those shows that belongs in the people’s hearts that are at home who love dancing, and there’s nothing better than seeing someone come from nothing and work hard and move up to being absolutely phenomenal.”
Image: Graziano Di Prima and Zara McDermott on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023. Pic: BBC/Guy Levy
The BBC has said it will introduce production staff chaperones into all future rehearsals.
The corporation has said it will also add two dedicated welfare producers to the show’s crew and deliver more training for the production team.
Revel Horwood said he thought it was a good idea.
“When I was in (the musical) Annie we had chaperones everywhere, because the kids and laws and all of that stuff,” he said.
The 59-year-old is currently starring in the UK tour of The Wizard Of Oz.
“I’ve noticed in the theatre world we have chaperones and people we can speak to if you’re having a down day,” he said.
“We have psychologists on the shows now, and all of that, so I think it’s just a normal progression of what’s happening in life now.”
He added: “I think it’s good. I think it’s good to have that.”
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On Friday, former Strictly professionals Ian Waite and Vincent Simone said they were “surprised” by the allegations.
Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Mr Waite said he did not experience anyone being aggressive during his time on the show, but condemned any physical action as “not appropriate”.
Di Prima has said he “deeply” regrets the events that led to his departure, but that there are “aspects” of the story he cannot “discuss at this time”.
Kate Phillips, BBC’s director of unscripted, has said that while “the vast majority of those who have taken part” in BBC shows have had positive experiences, when the corporation is made aware of inappropriate behaviour “we will always take that seriously and act”.
Rishi Sunak has said he is “incredibly angry” to learn of allegations that Tory candidates placed bets on the election date, calling it a “really serious matter”.
The prime minister told the BBC Question Time leader’s special that “it’s right they’re being investigated by relevant law enforcement” and he is “crystal clear that if anyone has broken the rules they should face [the] full force of the law”.
Asked why those under suspicion haven’t been suspended, Mr Sunak said an investigation had to take place first – but anyone guilty would be “booted out” of the party.
Election latest: Audience shouts ‘shame’ in latest TV showdown
Two Tory party candidates are being investigated by the Gambling Commission over alleged wagers placed on the date of the 4 July contest.
Laura Saunders, the candidate for Bristol North West, has worked for the party since 2015 and is married to its director of campaigns, Tony Lee.
Ms Saunders earlier said she “will be co-operating with the Gambling Commission” probe, while her husband “took a leave of absence” from his role on Wednesday night, a Conservative Party spokesman told Sky News.
The revelation came a week after the prime minister’s close parliamentary aide Craig Williams, the Tory candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, admitted to putting a “flutter” on the election, saying this has resulted in “some routine inquiries” which he was co-operating with “fully”.
Mr Sunak’s close protection officer has also been arrested and suspended over alleged bets about the timing of the election.
A gambling industry source told Sky News that “more names” are being looked at, though police “are not involved” in those cases.
Image: Pic: PA
The prime minister was asked by an audience member, to a round of applause, if the allegations are “the absolute epitome of the lack of ethics that we have had to tolerate from the Conservative party for years and years”.
He replied: “I was incredibly angry to learn of these allegations. It is a really serious matter.”
“I want to be crystal clear that if anyone has broken the rules, they should face the full force of the law.”
Quizzed over why the candidates have not been suspended while the investigations take place, Mr Sunak said the “integrity of that process should be respected”.
He added: “What I can tell you is if anyone is found to have broken the rules, not only should they face the full consequences of the law, I will make sure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party.”
Calls to suspend Tory candidates
Labour Party campaign sources told Sky News they noticed the odds on a July election narrow the day before Mr Sunak announced it on 22 May.
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3:42
Gove: Alleged betting ‘unacceptable’
Earlier, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for Ms Saunders to be suspended and said it is “very telling” Mr Sunak has not already done so.
“If it was one of my candidates, they’d be gone and their feet would not have touched the floor,” Sir Keir added.
Mr Sunak faced many questions about trust during the BBC grilling, with the first audience member asking if he would “confess to [a] small amount of embarrassment” after having five Tory prime ministers in the last seven years and the UK becoming something of an “international laughingstock”.
The Tory leader said that “very clearly mistakes had been made” and asked the public to judge him on the last 18 months in office.
He faced shouts of “shame” when he launched an attack on the “foreign court” – the European Court of Human Rights – and also insisted he was glad he called the election when he did despite his standing in the polls plummeting further since then.
Having named the date of the election amid a 20-point deficit, the prime minister has failed to make up ground in a campaign dominated by political gaffes – notably his early exit from a D-day event.
Image: Starmer faced questions over his policy U-turns. Pic: PA
The gambling scandal was the latest blow, after multiple projections of a historic Labour landslide and a number of big figures – from a former Tory donor to a former Tory minister – announcing they would back Sir Keir for the first time ever when polling day comes around.
Responding to Mr Sunak’s BBC performance, Lib Dem Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson said the prime minister “has gone from ducking D-Day to blundering on betting”.
“If he was truly angry about this scandal these Conservative candidates would have been suspended,” she said.
Pat McFadden, Labour’s National Campaign Coordinator, said Mr Sunak’s “performance tonight was an abject failure”.
The Tories hit back: “It was clear from the debate tonight that Keir Starmer will say just what he thinks you want to hear.”
Read more: Has Sunak blundered by opting for long, six-week election campaign? Tory voters say gambling scandal won’t make a difference
Starmer grilled on U-turns
Mr Sunak faced questions after Sir Keir took to the stage for a grilling that mainly centred around his previous support for Jeremy Corbyn and multiple policy U-turns.
The Labour leader ducked a volley of questions over whether he truly believed his predecessor would make a “great” prime minister, but said he would have been better than Boris Johnson – who went on to win in 2019.
On his U-turns, such as rowing back on a promise to abolish university tuition fees and nationalise energy, Sir Keir said he was a “common sense politician” and those pledges were no longer financially viable after the damage the Tories had done to the economy.
Davey confronted over-coalition years
The event also heard from Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, who faced difficult questions about his record in the coalition years and as postal affairs minister during the Horizon scandal.
Challenged by a student over his party abandoning their pledge to scrap tuition fees in the coalition era, he said: “I understand why your generation lost faith in us. It was a difficult government to be in.”
On his time as postal affairs minister, and whether he was proud of that role, he said he made “two big mistakes”, including failing to initially meet campaigner Alan Bates and not seeing through assurances given to him by the Post Office that there was nothing wrong with the faulty IT system that led to hundreds of wrongful convictions.
Meanwhile, SNP leader John Swinney, when asked whether he was going to carry on with calling for independence “until you get the answer you want”, stressed his belief that Scotland would be better as an independent country.
“I want Scotland to be like Denmark, or Ireland, or Sweden as an independent country. And when you look at those countries, they are more prosperous, they are more equal, they are fairer than Scotland and the United Kingdom,” he said.
Police have launched an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at Earl Spencer’s Maidwell Hall boarding school.
The younger brother of Princess Diana claimed in his memoir, published earlier this year, that he had suffered sexual abuse and physical beatings from a female member of staff during his time at the boarding school.
Earl Spencer attended the Northamptonshire school during the 1970s from the ages of eight to 13.
On Monday, local police said they had launched a criminal investigation into “allegations of non-recent sexual abuse” at Maidwell Hall School.
A spokesperson for the force said they were in the “early stages” of investigating the claims and would seek all available lines of inquiry to “help bring perpetrators to justice”.
In his memoir, A Very Private School, Earl Spencer said he was abused by an assistant matron when he was 11, leaving him with such trauma that he self-harmed over the notion she may leave the school.
Earl Spencer, who said he’d been left with lifelong “demons” after the abuse, wrote: “There seemed to be an unofficial hierarchy among her prey… she chose one boy each term to share her bed and would use him for intercourse.
“Her control over mesmerised boys was total, for we were starved of feminine warmth and desperate for attention and affection.”
Earl Spencer claimed that as a result of the abuse he suffered, he lost his virginity to an Italian prostitute age 12.
Of the act, he said he now thinks he was “simply completing the process set in motion by the assistant matron’s perverted attention”.
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He described reliving his time at the school as “an absolutely hellish experience”, writing: “I’ve frequently witnessed deep pain, still flickering in the eyes of my Maidwell contemporaries.
“Many of us left Maidwell with demons sewn into the seams of our souls.”
A Maidwell Hall spokesperson previously told Sky News the school was “dismayed” by the allegations of abuse, adding “we are sorry”.
The spokesperson also said: “It is difficult to read about practices which were, sadly, sometimes believed to be normal and acceptable at that time.
“Almost every facet of school life has evolved significantly since the 1970s.
“At the heart of these changes is the strict safeguarding of children – protecting them from abuse and maltreatment – and the promotion of their welfare.”
They referred themselves to the local authority after the allegations surfaced, and encouraged anyone with similar experiences to contact them, or the police.
The number of allegations of serious offences against grassroots football match officials increased slightly last season compared to 2021-22, figures show.
There were 1,451 allegations of serious offences against a match official last season, an increase of 1% on the prior campaign where 1,430 offences were recorded, the Football Association (FA) data reveals.
The figures, contained in the FA’s Annual Grassroots Disciplinary Review which is being published on Tuesday, also show 72 allegations of an actual or attempted assault were made in 2022-23.
Of those, 53 led to charges being brought and 42 were proven, with 11 not proven on the balance of probabilities due to insufficient evidence.
To assist in improving conviction rates even further, the FA has now extended a trial using body cameras in grassroots football to eight county associations to act as a deterrent against abuse towards match officials.
The FA said earlier this month that referees have faced no instances of abuse in around 500 matches since the trial began in February.
In addition to the 72 assaults or attempted assaults recorded in the disciplinary review, there were 391 allegations of physical contact or attempted physical contact and 988 allegations relating to threatening a match official.
The review marks the first time the FA has collated data on disciplinary matters from the grassroots game.
Overall, there were 3,636 allegations of serious misconduct – a 9% increase on the previous season – with 82% of charges being proven.
There was also a 10% increase in the number of allegations of discrimination, with the average sanction for proven charges being a seven-match suspension.
Alongside the body camera trials, the FA has also introduced points deductions and ground closures for teams involved in serious or repeat instances of misconduct.
The FA has also launched its Enough Is Enough campaign to raise awareness of discriminatory behaviour in the grassroots game and how to report it when it occurs.
The game’s national governing body has also launched a joint action plan alongside Kick It Out, the anti-discrimination charity, to proactively tackle incidents of discrimination and serious misconduct in grassroots football.
Read more: Football fans arrested over alleged abuse of female referee Police investigating ‘threats and abuse’ aimed at referee after Celtic win Europa League final referee confronted at airport by Roma fans
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1:09
Turkey referee attack: What happened?
“Providing this level of transparency is really important to us so that everyone can have a better understanding of the levels of serious misconduct across the game,” the FA’s senior discipline manager Fraser Williamson said.
“It also makes clear that we take all allegations of this nature very seriously and that we will take action against offenders.
“We know that incidents of serious misconduct are on the rise across the grassroots game, however we’re clear that this will not be tolerated and that perpetrators will face consequences.
“We’ve recently implemented a number of interventions across our game to help improve the culture and behaviour of participants, both on the pitch and on the sidelines, and we will continue to do all we can to ensure our game is safe and welcoming for all.”
Participant behaviour towards referees is in the spotlight following an attack on a referee in Turkey last week.
Halil Umut Meler was punched by the president of MKE Ankaragucu, Faruk Koca, at the end of a match on 11 December.
Koca was arrested over the incident and has since been issued with a permanent ban by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).
Meanwhile, Manchester City were fined £120,000 by an independent regulatory commission on Monday after their players surrounded referee Simon Hooper during their Premier League match against Tottenham on 3 December.
Rishi Sunak has responded for the first time to allegations that a Tory MP committed a series of rapes, saying the claims were “very serious”.
The prime minister urged anyone with evidence of criminal acts to talk to the police, as he faced questions about the accusations while on a visit to Norfolk.
“These are very serious, anonymous allegations,” he said.
“It may be that they allude to something that is already the subject of a live police investigation, so I hope you understand it wouldn’t be right for me to comment on that further specifically.
“More broadly the Conservative Party has robust independent complaint procedures in place, but I would say to anybody who has information or evidence about any criminal acts to of course talk to police, that’s the right course of action.”
Mr Sunak was speaking after a report in the Mail On Sunday that former Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry had sent a letter to police, in which he revealed a number of allegations about an MP had been made known to the party, but little action had been taken.
Sir Jake had only become aware of the claims when he learned the party had paid for one of the alleged victims to receive treatment at a private hospital.
His letter, written jointly with former chief whip Wendy Morton, another MP and a Downing Street official, also claimed the failure of others in the party to act had allowed the politician at the centre of the allegations to continue offending.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden told Sky News on Sunday that the party had a “zero tolerance” approach to sexual misconduct.
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1:25
‘Zero tolerance for sexual misconduct’
Speaking on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Dowden insisted the vast majority of people were in parliament were there to serve their constituents and the nation.
He also urged anyone with accusations of criminality to “go straight” to the police.
Pressed over whether there was a wider problem at Westminster after a series of scandals, Mr Dowden said: “No, I don’t think there’s something wrong about our parliament and the vast majority of people in parliament are there to serve their constituents and to serve the nation.
“Now, in respect of a very small number of cases, it’s important robust action is taken.
“And indeed, if there are allegations, I would urge anyone to go straight to the police as a criminal matters and they should be investigated.”
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It is the latest in a string of sexual misconduct claims to hit the Conservative party.
Last month, senior Tory MP Crispin Blunt was suspended by the party after being arrested on suspicion of rape and the possession of controlled substances – allegations he denies.
It came after former Conservative minister Peter Bone was suspended from the Commons for six weeks after a claim he exposed himself to a member of staff was upheld.
Chris Pincher, the former deputy chief whip, was sacked and eventually resigned after being accused of groping two men in a Tory private members’ club.
And last year, former MP Imran Ahmad Khan was jailed after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.
Nish Kumar says young women have been advised to steer clear of dressing rooms used by ‘predators’ still working on the comedy scene.
The comedian also said the knowledge of Russell Brand‘s alleged abuse against young women was “a well-known open secret on the comedy circuit” and he thinks it’s likely “there’s more allegations to come”.
Image: Russell Brand
Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse and sexual misconduct by a number of women – claims he vehemently denies.
Speaking on his Pod Save The UK podcast, Kumar said: “This stuff is still happening, there are still people working in comedy who are the subject of open secrets.
“There are still people who work in comedy that we can’t name because again, of the threat of lawsuits. And there are still people working in comedy who people will say, ‘Oh, we don’t send young women into their dressing room’.”
The 38-year-old added: “Now at that stage for me, you should be sacked from that job. If you can’t have someone be around young women, they have no place in any kind of workplace.
“The tolerance of it is something that we are going to have to actually have a reckoning with.”
Kumar, who previously hosted The Mash Report and Late Night Mash – said he first heard about Brand’s alleged wrongdoings in mid-2017, and that “from that point onwards it was well known”.
He said it went on to be discussed by multiple comedians at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2018.
However, he said the “very specific and serious allegation” against Brand that he had first been made aware of was not one that was discussed in the Channel 4 Dispatches programme which aired at the weekend.
For that reason, Kumar said he thinks “it is possible that there’s more allegations to come”.
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Pointing to Brand’s diminishing TV work in the UK after 2019, Kumar said: “That’s simply because increasingly people were just not willing to work with him. Everyone was afraid to talk about it because of the threat of lawsuits, you know?
“And so, the only power people had was to withdraw participation from shows involving Russell Brand.”
Abuse of power is an industry wide problem
He said as a comedian working in the industry, he too felt a sense of “guilt” and “complicity”.
Kumar said: “Watching it as a cisgendered, heterosexual male comedian, you feel a certain sense of guilt and a certain sense of complicity because you’ve been working with production companies and producers who are providing an infrastructure that allows predators to thrive.”
He said the “indulgence” of top talent was “an issue that cuts across all of the industries,” and which needed to be addressed.
Kumar concluded: “The only people to come out of this with anything approaching any credibility are the victims who have been brave enough to step forward and the journalists who have worked extremely hard to produce rigorous pieces of journalism so that they could get around the threats of a very powerful man’s lawyers.”
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Brand, 48, was initially accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse by four women with the alleged offences taking place between 2006 and 2013.
The comedian and presenter denies the claims, and says all his relationships have been consensual.
Following the report by the Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches, two further women have come forward with allegations against Brand.
The Metropolitan Police says it has received an allegation of sexual assault against him dating back to 2003.
The BBC also says it is looking into allegations by a woman who claims Brand exposed himself to her and then laughed about it afterwards on his Radio 2 show.
In the wake of the claims, numerous companies have cut ties with Brand including his management company, a women’s charity and several of his YouTube sponsors.
Sky News has approached Russell Brand for comment.
Russell Brand has denied “very serious criminal allegations” that he claims will be made against him by a newspaper and TV company.
In a video posted on YouTube and X, formerly known as Twitter, titled “So, This is Happening”, the comedian denied the allegations that he described as “a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks”.
He said that while he was “very promiscuous” at the height of his career, his relationships were “always consensual”.
Brand, 48, said: “Now, this isn’t the usual type of video we make on this channel where we critique, attack and undermine the news in all its corruption because in this story, I am the news.
‘Very serious allegations that I absolutely refute’
“I’ve received two extremely disturbing letters or a letter and an email. One from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks, as well as some pretty stupid stuff like my community festival should be stopped, that I shouldn’t be able to attack mainstream media narratives on this channel.
“But amidst this litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks, are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.
“These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies. And as I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous.
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“Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I’m being transparent about it now as well.
“And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question, is there another agenda at play?”
He continued: “I’m aware that you guys have been saying in the comments for a while [saying] ‘watch out, Russell. They’re coming for you, you’re getting too close to the truth, Russell Brand did not kill himself’.
“I know that a year ago there was a spate of articles – Russell Brand’s a conspiracy theorist, Russell Brand’s right wing. I’m aware of news media making phone calls, sending letters to people I know for ages and ages.
‘A serious and concerted agenda’
“It’s being clear to me, or at least it feels to me like there’s a serious and concerted agenda to control these kind of spaces and these kind of voices. And I mean, my voice along with your voice.
“I don’t mind them using my books and my stand-up to talk about my promiscuous consensual conduct in the past. What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations.
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“Also, it’s worth mentioning that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narrative that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently, in what seems to me to be a coordinated attack.
“Now, I don’t wanna get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations, but I feel like I’m being attacked and plainly they’re working very closely together. We are obviously going to look into this matter ’cause it’s very, very serious. In the meantime, I want you to stay close, stay awake, but more important than any of that, if you can, please stay free.”
Brand has not named the newspaper and TV company which he claims have made allegations against him.
Tory MP Chris Pincher has resigned after he lost his appeal against an eight-week suspension from the Commons following groping allegations made against him.
The Commons Standards Committee announced the sanction in July following an investigation into the claims and whether the former deputy chief whip caused “significant damage to the reputation of the House” – a breach of the members’ code.
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The move means there will be a by-election in his constituency of Tamworth, in Staffordshire,
Mr Pincher – who resigned from Boris Johnson’s government over the allegations last summer – did not appeal against the breach, but argued to the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) that the punishment was disproportionate.
In his resignation statement he said: “I have said already that I will not stand at the next general election.
“However, following the Independent Expert Panel’s decision I wanted to talk to my office team and family.
“I do not want my constituents to be put to further uncertainty, and so in consequence I have made arrangements to resign and leave the Commons.
“Tamworth is a wonderful place and it has been an honour to represent its people.
“I shall make no further comment at this time.”
Tamworth has a majority of nearly 20,000. Mr Pincher has represented the constituency since 2010.
The by-election is likely to come as unwelcome news to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, following a series of Tory losses at the ballot box recently.
Mr Pincher resigned as deputy chief whip in June 2022 after reports he had he groped two men while drinking at the Carlton Club in central London, and was later suspended by the Conservative Party.
His departure is touted by many as the reason for Mr Johnson’s exit from Downing Street, as numerous ministers turned against him after reports the then-PM knew about other claims relating to Mr Pincher’s behaviour when he gave him a role in his government.
An investigation by Commons Standards Committee gave details of the Carlton Club allegations.
A House of Lords employee claimed Mr Pincher had stroked his neck and squeezed his bottom.
The second complainant – a civil servant – said he touched his bottom before moving his hand to touch and squeeze his testicle.
The watchdog said Mr Pincher’s conduct had been “completely inappropriate, profoundly damaging to the individuals concerned, and represented an abuse of power.
The eight week suspension they recommended was enough to trigger a re-call petition which in turn could have led to a by-election.
The IEP, in upholding his punishment, said Mr Pincher’s arguments were “misconceived or erroneous”, adding: “The sanction is far from being arbitrary or disproportionate.”
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