Chris Pincher scandal

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The Chris Pincher scandal was a political controversy in the United Kingdom related to allegations of sexual misconduct by the former Conservative Party Deputy Chief Whip, Chris Pincher. In early July 2022, allegations of Pincher's misconduct emerged, including allegations that pre-dated his appointment as Deputy Chief Whip.

The government initially denied that, at the time of Pincher's appointment, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had any knowledge of any specific complaints about Pincher of a similar nature. Johnson later had to admit that that was not the case, raising questions about the earlier denials and why Johnson nevertheless had chosen to appoint him as Deputy Chief Whip.

The scandal sparked a major crisis for Johnson's government, with ministers, and a larger number of government staff, resigning on 5–7 July 2022, followed by Johnson's announcement on 7 July that he would resign as party leader.

Following a Parliamentary Standards Commission report released in July 2023 that recommended Pincher be suspended from the service of the House of Commons for 8 weeks, Pincher appealed the verdict and lost his appeal in September 2023, upon which he resigned his seat in Parliament.