Cabinet minister accused of sexually assaulting female aide as fresh allegation rocks Parliament

1 September 2022, 23:19 | Updated: 2 September 2022, 00:54

An unnamed Cabinet minister and a top No10 aide continued to work in Boris Johnson's government despite allegations of sexual misconduct against them, it has been reported.

In fresh allegations that have rocked Parliament, two women have given detailed historical accounts of what they claim happened to them, when one was assaulted and the other groped by political figures.

In both cases, their perpetrators were allegedly promoted to senior roles.

The bombshell allegations were made as part of a Sky News series on Thursday evening, in the wake of the Chris Pincher scandal which ultimately led to the downfall of Boris Johnson's premiership.

One woman claims the man involved - who was an MP at the time and currently serves in the Cabinet - was "feeding her wine" despite her being obviously drunk.

The woman, an ex-parliamentary staff member for the Conservative Party, claims when she requested to go to bed "he didn't leave me alone".

Read more: PM was aware of concerns about Pincher's conduct 'over the years', Downing Street says

Journalist lifts lid on rife culture of sexual harassment in Westminster

“I was sexually assaulted by someone who's now a Cabinet minister, and I was in my early 20s and didn't really know how to deal with it,” she said.

“I was super drunk. He's feeding me more wine and I'm already quite obviously tanked. After a while, I was like, you know, what? Would you mind if I just went to bed? So I went to bed.”

“But obviously he didn't leave me alone. And then I woke up the next morning and I realised what had happened.”

She told the MP who she was working for at the time, who encouraged her to report it to the police.

Following initial discussions she chose not to go any further and did not make a formal complaint to the Conservative Party.

"I was too scared to kick-start that process and risk it spiralling out of control," she said.

Another woman, a former Conservative aide, alleges that she was groped by someone now working in No10 who remained in post after she complained about his appointment.

She said: “I heard that he was going to get a job in Downing Street. I raised it with a number of people.

“Nothing happened. So I then formally complained to the Cabinet Office. I just felt the responsibility to do it again, partly because the office he’s going to be working in is full of women. And I just thought he'd do it again.”

She also alleged that on hearing of the allegation, his boss – a close aide to Boris Johnson - dismissed it, on the grounds that the man was “good looking and had women throwing themselves at him”.

Sky News confirmed these comments with another source who heard them directly.

The broadcaster said it has not published the names of the two men at the centre of the allegations to protect the victims.

Minister says No.10 were not aware of Chris Pincher allegations

In July, Mr Johnson's demise was triggered by how he handled accusations of inappropriate behaviour by former deputy chief whip Mr Pincher.

A Conservative spokesperson told the broadcaster: "We have an established code of conduct and complaints procedure where people can report complaints in confidence. We take any complaint seriously.

"If an allegation of criminal wrongdoing is raised, we would always advise the individual to contact the police."

A Government spokesperson responded to the allegations about a Cabinet minister assaulting a woman.

The spokesperson said: "We take allegations of misconduct extremely seriously and there are robust procedures in place to raise concerns. All ministerial appointments also follow established processes."

On allegations that a No 10 aide groped a different woman, the spokesperson said: "All prospective Government employees are subject to necessary checks and vetting. We do not comment on individuals."