chris pincher
The prime minister says his close ally should have been sacked after a sexual harassment complaint against him was upheld.
Chancellor and health secretary are the first ministers to quit amid Tory unease over the Chris Pincher affair.
One Conservative MP said: “It is clear from Lord McDonald’s letter today that Number 10 have not been honest in what they have said."
The MP was allowed to keep his job as a foreign office minister before going on to become deputy chief whip.
Pinched faces among ministers this morning.
The former permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office said No.10's various comments on the affair are "not true".
Simon McDonald disputes Downing Street’s account about what the prime minister knew about allegations surrounding Pincher.
Downing Street has insisted the prime minister only knew about "unsubstantiated allegations" before making the MP deputy chief whip.
Number 10 has now admitted the prime minister was aware of sex pest claims before making loyalist deputy chief whip.
That's not a sentence you expected to read on a Monday.