Liz Truss was right to sack Conor Burns ‘swiftly’ from government as he faces conduct probe into claims he touched man’s thigh at Tory conference, says Nadhim Zahawi
- Minister backs PM axing Conor Burns from government amid misconduct probe
- Nadhim Zahawi insisted it was fair that he was removed and not just suspended
- Sacked over complaint about alleged incident in hotel bar at Tory conference
A Cabinet minister today defended the ‘swift’ sacking of Conor Burns from government amid a probe into misconduct claims.
Nadhim Zahawi insisted the former trade minister had been treated fairly – although he suggested the PM will make a ‘further decision’ when the investigation is complete.
The Conservative Party has suspended the whip from Mr Burns while it looks into allegations he put his hand on the thigh of a young man at the conference in Birmingham last week.
The MP has vowed to clear his name and said he will ‘fully co-operate’ with the inquiry.
A Cabinet minister today defended the ‘swift’ sacking of Conor Burns from government amid a probe into misconduct claims
Nadhim Zahawi insisted the former trade minister had been treated fairly – although he suggested the PM will make a ‘further decision’ when the investigation is complete
Asked on Times Radio today whether he thought the process was fair to Mr Burns, Mr Zahawi said: ‘I do. I think there’s an investigation being carried out.
‘The Prime Minister acted swiftly on this and let’s wait to see the outcome of the investigation.’
Challenged on whether it would have been right to suspend Mr Burns as a minister, rather than sack him, Mr Zahawi said: ‘I think it’s important that she took a decision on this and that the investigation will then report back and then she will make a further decision on this.’
The comments came as it emerged that Mr Burns was expected to be given a knighthood in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list – but could now miss out.
Friends of the former minister told the Mail on Sunday that they feared the ‘gong’ would be a casualty of the misconduct claim.
Whitehall sources said Mr Johnson’s list had not yet been submitted. They admitted that it was convention for a serving PM not to block a predecessor’s choice, but added: ‘That is convention only.’
Mr Burns was perhaps the most loyal MP to Mr Johnson, having defended his surprise lockdown birthday party at No10 by arguing he was ‘ambushed with a cake’.
The BBC reported that witnesses had seen the MP touching a young man’s thigh in the early hours of last Tuesday. There were also claims that he was asked by an onlooker to stop.
Allies of Mr Burns – who denies any wrongdoing and is said to be ‘totally destroyed’ by the allegations – pointed out he was on heavy medication for a rib injury, which made the effect of alcohol worse.
Separately, his allies also hit back at accusations that he had made an inappropriate remark to Spice Girl Mel B, insisting he had never met her.
Ms Brown made the suggestion in a cryptic tweet in reaction to the news that Mr Burns was being investigated by the party.
The tweet read: ‘Really?? Your shocked about this complaint??? Let me remind you what you said me in lift…’
A spokeswoman for the Spice Girl, who was at the conference in Birmingham to speak out against domestic violence, declined to say what the alleged remark was. The spokeswoman said she had ‘nothing further to add’ to her tweet.
Some Tory MPs have privately complained about the ‘summary justice’ meted out to Mr Burns, suggesting that the speed of his dismissal could partly be punishment for heaping praise on Ms Truss’s ex-leadership rival Kemi Badenoch.
Describing Mrs Badenoch as ‘the future of our party’, he said last week that she understood the need to ‘move beyond Instagram posts about free trade agreements’.
A Tory Party spokesman said last night: ‘We do not comment on ongoing investigations.’
Mr Zahawi said it was right that Mr Burns had been removed as a minister rather than just suspended pending the results of the investigation
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