Michael Ellis, the Cabinet Office minister, defended Boris Johnson’s decision to appoint Chris Pincher as deputy director of the scandal in February, while answering an urgent question about the scandal in the House of Commons.
He told lawmakers: “I ask the House to accept that given that the member in question (Chris Pincher) had been re-elected to the government by a previous prime minister in 2018, and after he had been appointed in 2019 as Minister of Foreign Affairs. ‘Foreign Minister’ and then, crucially, he was appointed for the third time in February, I doubt anyone, knowing these facts, could say that this Prime Minister should have acted differently than he did.
“In any case, it is morally fair to assess the situation on the basis of evidence, not unfounded rumors. It is up to all members of this House, as it is in society at large, to act fairly.
“If there is no evidence at that time, if there is no live complaint, there is no ongoing investigation, it is certainly not reasonable to make an appointment.”