The Conservative Party has found itself at the centre of another sleaze scandal after a civil servant accused a minister who served under Boris Johnson of sexual harassment.
No formal investigations were launched into the allegations and the former prime minister and members of his cabinet were informally briefed, according to The Independent.
It is also understood the minister tried to resolve the matter informally and sent a letter of apology to the woman.
The woman pushed for an official investigation into the matter but this was not approved.
Under the ministerial code, the PM has the final say on whether any investigation is launched if complaints are made against a minister.
The alleged victim was also unable to turn to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) – which deals with complaints specific to former or current members of the parliamentary estate.
An out-of-court settlement was subsequently agreed to at the end of summer, with no admission of wrongdoing by the ex-minister, it’s believed.
A source reportedly revealed Mr Johnson was made aware of the allegations by a senior member of his cabinet.
She said she was made aware of the allegations from the civil servant and said ‘it was important that people understand that this isn’t a one-off’.
But the claims have led to renewed calls for new Prime Minister Liz Truss to appoint an independent ethics adviser, amid concerns predatory behaviour was allowed to flourish under Mr Johnson’s premiership.
Ms Truss has dismissed calls for a new independent ethics adviser in the past saying she knows ‘the difference between right and wrong’.
However, union bosses for civil servants working in Whitehall fear a culture of silence will persist if the new administration does not take action.
Procedures are in place for reporting and investigating MPs accused of misconduct, however ministers are not held to the same levels of scrutiny when the complaint is raised by a civil servant.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards says it ‘has no authority to investigate complaints about how government ministers carry out their ministerial responsibilities’.
A government spokesperson said: ‘We take allegations of misconduct extremely seriously and there are robust procedures in place to raise concerns. All ministerial appointments also follow established processes.’
Mr Johnson has been approached for comment by Metro.co.uk.
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