Damian Green should stand aside form his job as first secretary of state while an investigation into his conduct is carried out, a Tory MP has said.
Heidi Allen told ITV’s Peston on Sunday it would be “completely normal” in any other industry for someone to be suspended. “If you are innocent you have nothing to worry about,” she said.
Her intervention came as Home Secretary Amber Rudd revealed the inquiry into her cabinet colleague would be widened to include allegations pornographic material was found on one of his parliamentary computers
Green has strongly denied the claims, made by ex-Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Bob Quick, that pornography was found his office in Westminster during a raid in 2008.
In a strongly worded statement, the de facto deputy prime minister said the allegation was “completely untrue” and “political smears”.
Anna Soubry, another Tory backbencher, has already called for Green to step aside.
Green, who sits at the heart of Theresa May’s government, is already under investigation by the Cabinet Secretary after he was accused of making unwanted sexual advances towards a young female Tory activist. He denies the accusation.
Rudd the BBC’s Andrew Marr show this would now be expanded to include the allegations about his computers.
“I know that the Cabinet Office is going to be looking at this tomorrow along with the wider inquiry about Damian and I do think that we shouldn’t rush to allege anything until that inquiry has taken place,” she said.
Rudd sidestepped questions about whether Green should not have to stand aside while the inquiry was underway.
“He strongly denies the allegations. Let’s give him time and the inquiry time to put it straight,” she told Sky News. “I really look forward to him clearing his name.”
The Sunday Times reported Quick’s claim police officers found “extreme porn” on computers in Green’s office.
But Green said the former police chief was a “tainted and untrustworthy source”.
“I’ve been aware for some years that the discredited former assistant commissioner Bob Quick has tried to cause me political damage by leaking false information about the raid on my parliamentary office,” he said.
“No newspaper has printed this story due to the complete lack of any evidence.
“It is well-known that Quick, who was forced to apologise for alleging that the Conservative Party was trying to undermine him, harbours deep resentment about his press treatment during the time of my investigation.
“More importantly, the police have never suggested to me that improper material was found on my parliamentary computer, nor did I have a ‘private’ computer, as has been claimed.
“The allegations about the material and computer, now nine years old, are false, disreputable political smears from a discredited police officer acting in flagrant breach of his duty to keep the details of police investigations confidential, and amount to little more than an unscrupulous character assassination.”
Both the Conservatives and Labour have been rocked by a series of sexual harassment claims over the last week.
Several MPs have been suspended by their parties and Sir Michael Fallon resigned as defence secretary over allegations he behaved inappropriately towards women.
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