Lord Simon Macdonald, a former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, said earlier that Pincher, the former deputy leader, had been formally investigated for misconduct while a minister at the ministry in 2019 and that Johnson had been informed about it. In a highly damaging letter to the parliamentary standards commissioner, McDonald said Number 10’s original claim that Johnson was unaware of “specific allegations” about Pincher’s behavior was “not true”. Downing Street later admitted that Johnson had indeed been informed in 2019 of allegations against Pincher. A minister told MPs that misleading statements were made by Number 10 because Johnson had forgotten the incident. Michael Ellis, a Cabinet minister, said: “The Prime Minister did not immediately recall the 2019 conversation about this incident. As soon as he was reminded, the No 10 press office corrected their public lines.” Ellis told MPs that Pincher had claimed in 2019 that he “didn’t mean any harm” by his behavior but that it had caused “a high level of discomfort”. Tory MP Caroline Johnson, not usually a critic of the prime minister, questioned why Pincher had not been sacked at the time, why the police had not been involved and why Johnson had given him another job. Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said Johnson’s defense had “collapsed” and Tory MPs criticized the prime minister for appointing Pincher as deputy leader in 2019, given his past. William Wragg, the Tory chairman of the Commons public administration committee, called on cabinet members to “consider their positions” and ask themselves whether they could now serve under Johnson. “This is not a systems issue but a political crisis,” he said. “This political crisis cannot be transferred.” Downing Street said the Pincher case was not raised at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. Pincher resigned as deputy leader last week after admitting he had drunk too much at a private members’ club and “embarrassed” himself and others. He is accused of fondling two men. MacDonald told the BBC he decided to speak out because Number 10 had “five whole days to get the story right and that hasn’t happened yet”. He said number 10 appeared to be telling the truth while “crossing their fingers at the same time”. The case will infuriate ministers who have repeatedly been sent to defend Johnson with lines that then fall apart as new evidence emerges or with an incomplete account of what the prime minister knew. Downing Street initially claimed Johnson was unaware of “specific allegations” against Mr Pincher before he was appointed to the whip’s office in February this year. Dominic Raab, deputy prime minister and former foreign minister, confirmed on Tuesday that Pincher had been formally investigated while foreign minister for alleged misconduct in the summer of 2019. Speaking before Number 10 confirmed that Johnson had been informed of the investigation, Raab told the BBC that he had discussed the matter with Johnson in the past 24 hours and “I didn’t understand that he was told directly”. Following allegations that Johnson lied about the ‘partygate’ scandal – a parliamentary inquiry is looking into whether he knowingly misled parliament – the case will reignite questions about the UK prime minister’s integrity. Downing Street admitted on Monday that Johnson was aware of “complaints that have either been resolved or have not progressed to a formal complaint”, adding that there were no “substantiated” complaints against Mr Pincher when he was promoted to deputy leader in February.

MacDonald wrote in his letter to Catherine Stone, the parliamentary standards commissioner: “The original Number 10 line is not true and the amendment is still not accurate. “Mr Johnson was personally informed of the initiation and outcome of the investigation. There was an “official complaint”. “The allegations were ‘resolved’ only in the sense that the investigation was completed. Mr. Pincher was not acquitted. Characterizing the allegations as ‘baseless’ is therefore wrong.”