Former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher ‘to stand down at next election’

The MP said he had privately told his family and friends know at the beginning of the year he did not want to stand for election again.

Chris Pincher (UK Parliament/PA) (PA Media)

The former deputy chief whip at the centre of the controversy that led to Boris Johnson’s fall from office is reportedly standing down at the next election after his alleged misconduct.

Chris Pincher, who dramatically left Government last summer after allegedly assaulting two people at the exclusive Carlton Club in London, is said to be giving up his seat of Tamworth in Staffordshire.

In a statement given to Birmingham Live, Mr Pincher claimed he had told family and friends at the beginning of 2023 that he did not wish to stand again.

At the beginning of the year I let my friends and family know privately that I do not wish to stand for Parliament at the next general election

Chris Pincher MP

“At the beginning of the year I let my friends and family know privately that I do not wish to stand for Parliament at the next general election.

“I let the Conservative Party know then too,” the outlet quoted him as saying.

“As I explained last year, I have been receiving professional medical support and I need to continue the process to improve my mental and physical health.”

He paid tribute to Tamworth, where he as served as MP for more than 10 years and made “lifelong friends”, describing the job as a “wonderful privilege”.

Mr Pincher has been sitting in the Commons as an independent after a formal complaint was made to the parliamentary watchdog that examines allegations of bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards opened an investigation into him in October, citing “actions causing significant damage to the reputation of the House as a whole, or of its Members generally”.

The allegations against him sparked a row that helped end Mr Johnson’s premiership.

The former prime minister’s handling of the scandal unleashed a wave of pent-up frustration with his leadership, already damaged by lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street and by-election defeats.