Trade minister Conor Burns has been suspended after allegations about him were made to party bosses.
A minister facing allegations of ‘serious misconduct’ is reportedly on the verge of being awarded a knighthood.
Conor Burns was dismissed from his trade role and suspended from the party after he was accused of inappropriate behaviour at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.
But the Boris Johnson-loyalist is set to be rewarded for his staunch support with a gong in the resignation honours list this month, according to The Times.
It risks causing political embarrassment for Liz Truss, who is ‘thought to be unable to block the nomination’, according to the paper.
The trade minister has vowed to clear his name and has accused the party of rushing to judgement over the incident.
Unnamed allies of the MP have defended Mr Burns, accusing Downing Street of sacking him to appear stronger on misconduct allegations than Mr Johnson and in retribution for perceived political disloyalty.
According to the BBC, the complaint was made by an eyewitness who claimed they saw Mr Burns touch a young man’s thigh in a hotel bar.
The complaint was made by a third-party who saw the alleged incident, not by the man involved, according to the broadcaster.
A source with knowledge of the disciplinary process is also said to have corroborated the account.
In an unexpected twist, Mr Burns was forced to state that he has never met Mel B after she posted a cryptic tweet about him.
The Spice Girls singer, whose full name is Melanie Brown, replied to a Twitter statement regarding his sacking, seemingly accusing him of making inappropriate comments.
Mr Burns wrote that he was not given ‘any information about the complaint’ nor was he asked to ‘provide any information’ when he received a call from the chief whip.
But Mel B, who attended the Tory conference to speak about domestic abuse at a fringe event hosted by The Sun and Women’s Aid, questioned whether he should be shocked by the claim.
Quote-tweeting part of his statement, she wrote: ‘Really?? Your shocked about this complaint??? Let me remind you what you said me in lift…..”
Mr Burns told the Press Association: ‘I believe I have never met Mel.’
The Whips’ Office said the Tory whip had been suspended pending an investigation into ‘allegations of inappropriate behaviour earlier this week’.
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