Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, responding to the Chris Pincher report, says:

"Chris Pincher’s actions are shocking. But what’s even worse is the way the Conservative Party protected him - even promoting him despite a previous investigation into his conduct.

"The British people deserve so much better than 13 years of Tory chaos and sleaze.

"Rishi Sunak has been too weak to act against Chris Pincher because he’s too weak to lead a Conservative Party which is too divided to govern the country. And it is working people who are paying the price with a cost-of-living crisis.

"Chris Pincher should now do the decent thing and resign as an MP. The people of Tamworth and the surrounding villages deserve more from their parliamentary representative. It's time to turn the page on 13 years of Tory failure with a mission-led Labour government ready to build a better Britain."

This is paragraph 53 of the report:, external

"We have found above that Mr Pincher groped the complainant and Witness 3 whilst present at the Carlton Club on the evening in question, and that this was unwanted, inappropriate, and upsetting."

One aspect of Pincher's behaviour is described by the committee as "especially grave".

"Sexual misconduct of this nature, by a serving senior Member of the House in such a situation, also involves an abuse of power. Mr Pincher was the Government Deputy Chief Whip at the time and therefore in a position of significant power and authority.

"Whether Mr Pincher intended to abuse that position of power is immaterial. Objectively, he did," the report concludes.

The recommendation for Chris Pincher to be suspended from the House of Commons for eight weeks for "deeply inappropriate and shameful" behaviour means a by-election in Tamworth is now highly likely.

The report recommends Chris Pincher is suspended for eight weeks.

Parliament's standards watchdog has published the findings of an inquiry into groping allegations against former government whip Chris Pincher.

Stick with us as we bring you the details.

Chris Mason
Political editor

We’ve already got three by-elections in a fortnight’s time.

There’s also the prospect of one in Mid-Bedfordshire if former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries resigns, and there’s another one expected in Rutherglen and Hamilton West in connection with the conduct of a former SNP MP who breached Covid regulations.

So there’s the prospect of six - six! - by-elections.

The fascinating thing with Tamworth, which is the seat Chris Pincher holds, is I think we can expect Labour to throw everything at it.

Now, Tamworth is a massive Conservative majority at the moment - but in the current situation, they will be very nervous about it.

And if you’re Rishi Sunak, when you look at the opinion polls, what is the last thing you want right now? Elections - let alone half a dozen of them.

Pincher resigned after he allegedly assaulted fellow guests at the Carlton Club in London. He apologised for "drinking far too much" and embarrassing "himself and other people".

Here’s his resignation letter:

Chris Mason
Political editor

The report has been examining whether or not Chris Pincher brought the Commons into disrepute - now, we should say that Pincher apologised for drinking far too much and embarrassing himself when these allegations were made.

My understanding is that this report will be critical.

It is widely expected it’s going to recommend a suspension for longer than the threshold that can lead to a by-election.

I’m also told by several people that it is likely Pincher might voluntarily give up his seat as an MP - maybe today, maybe in the coming days.

At 09:00, the findings of an inquiry into groping allegations against former government whip Chris Pincher will be published by Parliament's standards watchdog.

A year ago, Boris Johnson's handling of the allegations - following Partygate - hastened his exit from Downing Street.

Sources familiar with the process have told the BBC they expect the Standards Committee's recommended sanction to exceed a threshold that could pave the way for a by-election in the MP's Tamworth constituency in Staffordshire.

A recall petition could be triggered if the committee calls for a suspension of at least 10 sitting days and the wider Commons approves it.

The Conservatives are already facing three by-elections in seats they won in the 2019 general election on 20 July.

We've had two big BBC interviews with the Labour leader this morning. Here's what we learned:

1. Starmer wants to break the "class ceiling" by investing in education to give children the life skills they'll need to get ahead, including language and speaking skills
2. Labour will remove the VAT tax break on private school fees in order to raise £1bn to be invested in recruiting new teachers
3. Starmer won't commit to funding free schools meals nationally, as the Labour government in Wales is already doing, citing financial pressures
4. He also wouldn't say whether Labour would agree to the 6.5% salary rise for teachers rumoured to have been recommended by the pay review body
5. National security will be a Labour priority - but Starmer won't say if spending will increase until closer to the next election.

Image source, PA

Starmer is asked about Labour's defence pledges after Starmer wrote in The Sun that the party will be strong on national defense if Labour is elected.

"When the Labour Party was last in power we did have good levels of spending on defence," he says.

Does that mean he is pledging that again?

He replies that they have to wait until nearer the election to make clear exactly what the costings will be but that "Labour is always strong on defence".

"The last Labour government put the money in. It will be a broadly the same approach but what I am not going to do is that I won't put the numbers until we know what we're inheriting."

Starmer dismisses criticism of Labour's plan to remove the VAT break on private school fees to pay for its policy to employ more teachers, saying the party's costings have been "stress tested".

Challenged that children will have to leave private schools to go to state schools because of the added cost to parents of VAT, therefore increasing the government's costs, he says private school fees have gone up above inflation for many years and that has not happened.

In his Today interview Starmer is played a clip from councillor Jasmine Ali, who runs education for Southwark Council in London. She talks about the positive impact of free school meals on education performance in primary schools.

The Welsh Labour government have already committed to funding this, but Starmer hasn't said the party will do it nationally if it gets into power.

He says there's a healthy debate on this issue, and Labour has set out plans for breakfast clubs for every child.

But the money is a big factor, Starmer says, and the Labour Party will inherit a "broken economy" if it wins the next election.

We have to have very strong rules on what we can afford to spend, he says.

Following his interview on BBC Breakfast, Starmer is now speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

We will bring you coverage of that shortly.

Labour’s five “missions” are a set of promises that the party will centre their campaign around at the next general election.

Here’s a recap of what they are:

• Securing the "highest sustained growth" in the G7 group of rich nations, by the end of Labour's first term
• Making Britain a "clean energy superpower", removing fossil fuels from all of Britain's electricity generation by 2030
• Improving the NHS
• Reforming the justice system
• Raising education standards

Starmer thinks now is not the time for pithy promisespublished at 07:59 British Summer Time 6 July 2023

07:59 BST 6 July 2023

Chris Mason
Political editor

What we are getting from Keir Starmer this morning is the fifth and final of what he calls his "missions".

The way to think of them is as the scaffolding upon which his plans for five or even ten years of Labour government would be built.

They are — consciously — not the zippy, memorable, stick on a pledge card and a poster promises we tend to get from political parties just before an election.

And that’s because the general election is probably about a year away.

Sir Keir’s diagnosis is that the Conservatives have provided what he calls a "sticking plaster" series of governments, bodging together solutions rather than thinking about the medium and long term.

But critics say these "missions" are vague, even banal.

And his political opponents point to his U-turns — such as him abandoning scrapping university tuition fees in England — to argue he doesn’t really believe in anything.

The allegation of being a flip flopper — saying anything to be popular — has the potential to wound, unless Labour can convince people the about turns are pragmatic and reasonable, rather than the opposite.

It’ll likely be the autumn before Sir Keir starts spelling out some of pithy promises — the retail offer, as political strategists describe them — that he’ll take into the election campaign.

Finally, Starmer is being asked about what he would do to force the hand of banks, supermarkets and fuel firms to make sure people are getting the best deals.

I want to see banks doing the right thing when it comes to savings because rising mortgage rates are hitting people hard, Starmer says.

He adds that the way to fix cost of living pressures is by growing the economy, and that this was the first of his five missions that he detailed during this cycle of policy speeches.

Starmer says the UK needs to get out of the "doom cycle" of higher bills, higher taxes and lower wages.

On the teachers' strikes, Starmer is asked if he would pay 6.5% pay review body is rumoured to have recommended.

He doesn't say yes or no, but that they need to wait and see what they propose.

"We need to resolve the strike, we don't want children missing out because of this. I am not going to commit to particular figure, we will wait to see what the review body says, but we would be in the room negotiating, which the government isn't doing."

Will you spend more money on schools, the Labour leader is asked.

Yes, Starmer replies, and he says he will set out details in his speech later today.

He says that getting rid of the tax break for private schools will raise £1bn, which will be used to employ more teachers.

Pressed on further funding commitments, he says the economy is damaged and further financial measures won't be detailed until closer to the election.

Asked again, Starmer says he won't make pledges he can't keep this far from a general election and in the current economic climate.