Boris Johnson’s declare that he was not conscious of prior particular allegations in opposition to Chris Pincher is falling aside, after a former prime civil servant wrote a proper letter to allege that Downing Road’s model of occasions was unfaithful.

In a extremely uncommon transfer, Simon McDonald, who had been essentially the most senior official within the Overseas Workplace and is now a crossbench peer, instructed the parliamentary requirements commissioner that the prime minister was briefed in individual a couple of 2019 criticism of alleged groping by the previous Conservative deputy chief whip.

Talking later to the BBC, McDonald mentioned Downing Road wanted to “come clear”, and that some ministers’ statements on Pincher had been unsuitable.

Dominic Raab, who was overseas secretary on the time, confirmed to the BBC that he had launched an investigation into claims about Pincher, then a junior Overseas Workplace minister, who resigned as deputy chief whip after being accused of drunkenly groping two males.

Nevertheless, Raab mentioned he didn’t know if Johnson had been briefed concerning the inquiry, as McDonald mentioned. Raab mentioned: “That’s information to me, I wasn’t conscious of that. It’s not clear to me that that’s factually correct.”

He added: “I’ve mentioned this with the prime minister over the past 24 hours. It isn’t my understanding that he was straight briefed.”

Requested if Johnson had particularly mentioned he was not briefed, Raab added: “To be trustworthy with you, I didn’t ask him. He didn’t elevate it.”

McDonald’s letter, despatched to Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary requirements commissioner, and tweeted on Tuesday morning, seems to demolish the insistence of No 10 spokespeople and a collection of ministers that Johnson was not conscious of any “particular” allegations in opposition to Pincher earlier than final week.

This morning I’ve written to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Requirements – as a result of No 10 preserve altering their story and are nonetheless not telling the reality. pic.twitter.com/vln9FU4V50

— Simon McDonald (@SimonMcDonaldUK) July 5, 2022

On Monday, Johnson’s official spokesman amended this to argue that the prime minister had been conscious of allegations, however that these have been “both resolved or didn’t proceed to a proper criticism”.

In a scathing letter, McDonald, a long-time senior diplomat who was everlasting under-secretary on the Overseas Workplace from 2015 to 2020 and have become a peer in 2021, made it clear he believed this was additionally unfaithful.

In the summertime of 2019, shortly after Pincher grew to become a Overseas Workplace minister, McDonald wrote, a gaggle of officers complained about his behaviour, McDonald mentioned, saying the claims have been “related” to people who emerged final week. An investigation upheld the criticism and Pincher apologised, he added.

It was, McDonald wrote, “not true” for No 10 to say both that Johnson didn’t knew about earlier complaints, or the amended line about the one criticism he knew about being unsubstantiated.

“Mr Johnson was briefed in individual concerning the initiation and final result of the investigation,” the letter mentioned. “There was a ‘formal criticism’. Allegations have been ‘resolved’ solely within the sense that the investigation was accomplished; Mr Pincher was not exonerated. To characterise the allegations as ‘unsubstantiated’ is due to this fact unsuitable.”

He added: “I’m conscious that’s uncommon to write down to you and concurrently publicise the letter. I’m acutely aware of the responsibility owed to the goal of an investigation however I act out of of my responsibility in direction of the victims.

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“Mr Pincher deceived me and others in 2019. He can’t be allowed to make use of the confidentiality of the method three years in the past to pursue his predatory behaviour in different contexts.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s At present programme on Tuesday, McDonald mentioned he knew for sure {that a} senior official briefed Johnson as a result of that official then instructed him.

McDonald mentioned: “I believe they should come clear. I believe that the language is ambiguous, the form of telling the reality and crossing your fingers on the identical time and hoping that individuals are not too forensic of their subsequent questioning and I believe that isn’t working.”

He singled out media feedback by the youngsters’s minister, Will Quince, on Monday that Johnson was “not conscious of particular allegations”, saying: “The explicit assurance was unsuitable.”

Requested concerning the letter on At present, Raab confirmed the investigation had taken place. He mentioned: “Simon and myself each spoke to Chris Pincher in individual to make it clear that the inappropriate behaviour ought to by no means be repeated.”

Raab mentioned he instructed the then-chief whip, however didn’t know if the prime minister was knowledgeable.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy chief, mentioned Johnson’s claims a couple of lack of prior data of Pincher’s behaviour “have been blown out the water”.

She mentioned: “It’s now clear that the prime minister knew concerning the seriousness of those complaints however determined to advertise this man to a senior place in authorities anyway. He refused to behave after which lied about what he knew.”

Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrat deputy chief, mentioned: “Lord McDonald has shone a brand new mild on this murky cover-up. Boris Johnson must come clean with his internet of lies and at last come clear in the present day.”