A government minister has been sacked following allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” at this week’s Conservative Party conference.
Conor Burns, the trade minister, first cracked the whip for the party and within minutes No 10 announced he had been told to “leave the government with immediate effect”.
The Bournemouth West MP, who was a very close ally of Boris Johnson during his time in Downing Street, said he hoped to “clear my name”.
His sacking follows a series of scurrilous accusations against senior Tories, including the palpitations of deputy chief executive Chris Pincher, the scandal that forced Johnson out of No 10.
Neil Parish resigned from the Commons after admitting watching porn in the chamber, and another unnamed Tory MP is currently on bail over rape allegations.
There are ongoing investigations into David Warburton, the Conservative MP suspended over allegations of sexual harassment and cocaine use.
The Independent, meanwhile, revealed how Liz Truss accepted help during her leadership campaign from a former government minister accused of sexual harassment, according to Number 10 sources.
The prime minister not only knew about the allegations, denied by the politician, but suggested she might return to serve in his government, officials said.
Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, seized on Burns’ sacking as evidence that the new government is “already beset by scandal”, pointing to Ms Truss’s refusal to appoint an ethics adviser.
“This deeply disturbing revelation is the latest in a long line of allegations of serious misconduct and raises serious questions, not just about another minister, but about the Prime Minister’s judgment in refusing to appoint an adviser of independent ethics,” he said.
“For those hoping Liz Truss would turn the page on years of Tory abandonment, we’re already seeing more of the same.”
Burns confirmed his suspension, in a series of tweets criticizing the “rush to judgement” and demanding that the party’s investigation be concluded just as quickly.
“I was not given any information about the complaint or asked to provide any information,” he said of a phone call from Chief Whip Wendy Morton.
He added: “I will cooperate fully with the party’s investigation and hope to clear my name. I hope the party will be as quick to conduct its investigation as it is to rush to trial.”
But a Number 10 spokesman said: “Following an allegation of serious misconduct, the Prime Minister has asked Conor Burns MP to leave the government with immediate effect.
“The Prime Minister took direct action when informed of this allegation and is clear that all ministers should uphold the high standards of behavior that the public rightly expects.”
A spokesman for the whips’ office said: “We have suspended the whip pending an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior earlier this week.”
It is understood a third party came to No 10 with evidence about an incident they witnessed, rather than the dismissal following a whistleblower’s presentation.
The instant sacking appeared to be a clear attempt to act in stark contrast to the way Johnson allowed the Pincher scandal to drag on, as the No 10 misled reporters about the background.
The group of LGBT+ conservatives reacted to the dismissal of Mr. Burns saying he “suspended his sponsorship” pending the conclusion of the investigations.
It is the second time that Burns has been forced to resign from the same department. In 2020, he was found to have used his position to try to intimidate a member of the public.
On that occasion, he was censured by the Commons’ standards committee for making a series of veiled threats while trying to intervene in a loan dispute involving his father.
The Prospect union, which represents staff in parliament, welcomed the suspension but warned there was nothing to stop Mr Burns from continuing in his workplace.
“It highlights once again that there is no formal mechanism in place to prevent MPs accused of this type of serious misconduct from attending Westminster and interacting with staff, other MPs, visitors and school groups,” said general secretary Mike Clancy .
Burns made headlines at the Birmingham conference when he mocked the Prime Minister over her record on post-Brexit trade deals and branded a rival as “the future of our party”.
In a fringe meeting, he suggested Ms Truss’s time as trade secretary, when she became known for her social media output, was a story of style over substance.
He praised Kemi Badenoch, the new trade secretary, saying: “Kemi fully understands that trade needs to go beyond Instagram posts about free trade deals and really focus on delivering.”