British broadcaster Sky News revealed on Friday sexual misconduct allegations against two top UK political figures, following another misconduct scandal that drove the final nail in the coffin for Boris Johnson's premiership in July
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2022) British broadcaster Sky news revealed on Friday sexual misconduct allegations against two top UK political figures, following another misconduct scandal that drove the final nail in the coffin for Boris Johnson's premiership in July.
In early July, Christopher Pincher resigned as deputy chief whip of the Conservative party after being accused of sexual misconduct in one of London's private members club. A number of politicians claimed that outgoing UK Prime Minister and Tory leader Boris Johnson appointed Pincher to the post despite knowing about sexual misconduct claims, which caused an avalanche of resignations from the British government.
The broadcaster, citing first-hand accounts by two victims, said that a cabinet minister and one of the top aides to the Prime Minister's office were also involved in an assault and unwelcome advances, adding that both cases were neglected by the colleagues of the victims and the Conservative party leadership.
"I heard that he was going to get a job in Downing Street. I raised it with a number of people. Nothing happened," one of the victims told the broadcaster on condition of anonymity.
A representative for the UK government, responding to the allegations, assured the broadcaster that all the employees are checked prior to the appointment.
"All prospective government employees are subject to necessary checks and vetting. We do not comment on individuals," a spokesperson told the media.
Commenting on the issue, Mike Clancy, the head of the Prospect trade union representing civil servants, expressed the hope that the new prime minister would put an end to a "toxic" working culture that allows sexual misconduct to happen.
"Now we have a new prime minister, potentially from Monday, and this is an opportunity to reset the culture ... I'm hoping that the new prime minister will be able to clean this up and deal with a toxic culture," Clancy said as aired by the broadcaster.
On July 7, Johnson, who succeeded Theresa May as UK Prime Minister in 2019, announced that he was stepping down both as the prime minister and head of the UK's Conservative Party. He will remain in office until a new appointment is made. According to the British media, Johnson is likely to hand over his power to the party's new leader no earlier than September 6.
