Councillor looks for support with calls for Chris Pincher to resign as MP

Mr Pincher’s actions in June 2022 at a private members club in London led to him being suspended from the Tory party and also brought about the demise of Boris Johnson’s tenure as prime minister.

It has subsequently been recommended that Mr Pincher be suspended from parliament for eight weeks for sexual misconduct, but he is currently appealing this decision.

Now, Councillor Richard Kingstone is hoping councillors at Tamworth Borough Council will agree to write a letter on behalf of the authority to add weight to calls for the MP to stand down.

It mirrors a similar letter sent this week to Nadine Dorries, MP for Mid-Bedfordshire, by Flitwick Town Council after she said she would quit with immediate effect on June 9, but has so far failed to act on the announcement.

On Friday, Councillor Kingstone revealed he had sent an email to all councillors in which he outlined the proposal.

The proposal reads: “Tamworth Borough Council writes to our current MP, The Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP, and requests that he resigns from his position as MP for Tamworth with immediate effect.

“The reasons being that the people of Tamworth do not have an MP who is actively representing them both here in the constituency and in Parliament.”

Councillor Kingstone continued: “To add some background to this motion it is noted that some time ago, Mr Pincher announced his intention not to seek re-election to the Tamworth seat.

“Since an incident that occurred in June of 2022, Mr Pincher has not attended a single sitting of parliament, attended any event within the Tamworth constituency in his capacity as our MP or held any surgeries that residents may attend.

“Prior to June of last year Mr Pincher was very active in representing Tamworth and its people.

“Given that the Parliamentary Standards Committee has now produced a report that recommends an eight-week suspension only adds weight to the seriousness of the allegations Mr Pincher currently faces.

“Mr Pincher has appealed this recommendation, as is his right to do so.

"This appeal, if not upheld, will only further delay MPs voting on the recommendation in the report and therefore delay even longer any potential recall petition being triggered.

“Given Mr Pincher has publicly stated he will not be seeking re-election and that he wishes to continue to focus on his health concerns, this council is concerned that the 70,000 residents living in the Tamworth constituency are not being properly represented by our current MP.

“Also, further funding streams and other matters of direct relevance to the operation of this council and its current and future projects are not being championed within parliament at present.”

It’s been widely reported that constituents have had significant difficulty contacting their MP. Telephone numbers listed online for Mr Pincher’s office no longer seem to connect, and emails appear to go unanswered.

As a result, the LDRS has been unable to reach Mr Pincher or a member of his team for a response to Councillor Kingstone’s proposal or for a comment on the allegations made against him.

It’s understood Councillor Kingstone’s suggestion could be discussed on August 21, if enough councillors support his request to discuss the issue.

A similar motion put forward in November 2022 failed to get the support of the full council, and was overturned by the ruling Conservative group.

Since the local elections, their majority has been reduced and therefore Councillor Kingstone’s motion may have a better chance of success.