Rishi Sunak refuses to say whether disgraced Tory MP Chris Pincher should quit as MP
Rishi Sunak has refused to say whether Chris Pincher should resign as an MP - despite suggesting the handling of allegations surrounding the disgraced ex-minister is why he quit government.
Mr Sunak, along with then-Health Secretary Sajid Javid, cited standards and integrity as his reason for quitting which triggered a wave of resignations from more than 60 MPs ending in the dramatic downfall of Boris Johnson.
The former chancellor told the BBC on Monday that he resigned because the government had "found itself on the wrong side of a very serious ethical issue" - in what appeared to be a reference to the Pincher controversy.
"After a lot of deliberation and months of standing by the PM, I was one of them," Mr Sunak told the broadcaster, adding that clashing opinions on the economy also played a part in his resignation.
However, he later avoided answering a question on whether Mr Pincher - who quit as deputy chief whip after accusations he groped two men in Westminster - should step down from his role as MP for Tamworth.
Mr Sunak is attempting to woo party faithfuls in Devon, where Neil Parish resigned his seat as MP following revelations that he had watched pornography in the House of Commons.When pressed on whether Mr Pincher should resign his seat in the Commons in order to restore trust, the ex-chancellor replied: "I think trust is really important and standards are really important in public life.
"I think honesty is important and that's why in this leadership campaign, even though it's not easy for me, I want to be honest about some of the challenges we face and what is going to be required to fix them."
He added that if he were to become PM, he would quickly reappoint an independent adviser “to make sure that ministers and the government are held to account for their behaviour”.
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His comments came ahead of a showdown with Tory leadership rival Liz Truss in a hustings with Tory members on Monday evening in Exeter.
The former chancellor has insisted his ideas for the economy are “radical but realistic” as he set out plans to slash income tax by 20% after inflation is brought down - a pledge blasted as a "flip-flop" by allies of Ms Truss after weeks of labelling her plans for sweeping tax cuts as “comforting fairy tales”.
Foreign Secretary Ms Truss has promised around £30 billion of tax cuts within weeks of taking office if she wins, as part of a package to help people struggling with the rising cost of living.
Ms Truss has pledged to tackle economic orthodoxy and overcome resistance from the Treasury to implement her tax-cutting plans.
But Ms Truss’s proposals appear to have convinced many of the party faithful who will elect the next leader - with polls suggesting she has a clear lead over Mr Sunak - and a growing number of senior Tory MPs, with Nadhim Zahawi the latest heavyweight to back her.