PM refuses to say whether Tories will probe claims made against his dad

Boris Johnson has refused to say whether the Conservatives will investigate his father Stanley after two women made allegations of inappropriate touching.

Senior Tory MP Caroline Nokes and journalist Ailbhe Rea have publicly accused the former MEP of touching them at Conservative party conferences.

Labour has urged the Conservatives to investigate the allegations, but the Prime Minister said he would not comment on “individual cases” and declined to say whether he has discussed the matter with his father.

Questioned by reporters during a visit to North Yorkshire on Thursday, the PM said: “First of all, it’s absolutely right that everybody, women in particular, should be able, should have the confidence, to come forward and make complaints.

“There are proper procedures available for people to make their complaints, to make known what has happened and for those to be properly investigated.

“But I’m obviously not going to comment on individual cases.”

Ms Nokes, chairwoman of the Commons Women and Equalities Committee, has accused Stanley Johnson of forcefully smacking her on the bottom and making a vulgar comment at the Conservative Party conference in 2003.

At the next general election, Ms Nokes was to run for the seat of Romsey and Stanley Johnson for the Conservatives in Teignbridge.

“I can remember a really prominent man smacking me on the backside about as hard as he could and going, ‘Oh, Romsey, you’ve got a lovely seat’,” Ms Nokes told Sky News, before identifying the individual as Stanley Johnson.

Her allegation prompted Ms Rea, a journalist for the New Statesman, to allege that Stanley Johnson “groped” her at the Tory conference in 2019.

The 81-year-old has said he has “no recollection” of either incident.