After Mr Pincher formally resigned as an MP after losing his appeal against an eight-week Commons suspension for drunken "groping", senior Conservative MPs told Sky News they expect the Tamworth by-election on 19 October. As the prime minister has said, mid-term by-elections for incumbent governments are always difficult." Mr Johnson was also said to have remarked to Tory colleagues: "Pincher by name, pincher by nature." That claim led Mr Pincher to resign as a junior government whip, though he was cleared of wrongdoing by a party investigation. But given the embarrassment Mr Pincher has caused the Conservative Party, it's no wonder Tory MPs believe the least he could now was to help the prime minister by quitting.

Source: The Times September 07, 2023 15:44 UTC