Truss Tory Leadership Campaign 'Aided by Unnamed Minister Accused of Sexual Harassment'

Liz Truss became PM after her predecessor Boris Johnson was forced to resign when it emerged he knew of groping allegations against former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher before he appointed him in February 2022.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss had "behind the scenes" support in her leadership campaign from a cabinet minister later accused of sexual harassment, The Independent quoted two anonymous "Number 10 officials" as claiming Truss knew about the allegations beforehand.

They said Truss was one of a handful of people, including her predecessor Boris Johnson, who knew about the claims against the minister by a civil servant.

The woman complained that the minister made inappropriate comments towards her, but senior civil servants who investigated her allegations decided that no further action was needed.

The accuser later threatened legal action against the minister. The affair ended in an out-of-court financial settlement with no admission of wrongdoing.

One of the sources, a woman, told The Independent that it was not the first accusation against the minister, and that she had also been subjected to inappropriate remarks.

"It was important that people understand that this isn’t a one-off," she said.

Johnson was forced to resign in July after a spate of ministerial resignations over his handling of sexual misconduct by his recently-appointed deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.

A drunken Pincher groped two men, including a fellow Conservative MP, on the evening of June 29 at the swanky private Carlton Club in central London. He was sacked and suspended from the party the next day.

It later emerged that Johnson knew of previous allegations of sexual misconduct against Pincher before he appointed him in February this year.

Anonymous sources claimed that Johnson joked his appointee was "Pincher by name and pincher by nature."