Labour's Shami Chakrabarti urges probe into claim Boris Johnson groped journalist
2 min read
Shadow Attorney General Shami Chakrabarti has called for an investigation into claims Boris Johnson groped a journalist when he was editor of The Spectator.
The Labour frontbencher claimed allegations made by journalist Charlotte Edwardes - which have been strenuously denied by Mr Johnson - could amount to "indecent assault" if proven.
Ms Edwardes wrote in the Sunday Times last week that, when she and Mr Johnson worked at the magazine, he squeezed her thigh and that of another woman at a lunch.
"I’m seated on Johnson’s right; on his left is a young woman I know," she said.
"More wine is poured; more wine is drunk. Under the table I feel Johnson’s hand on my thigh. He gives it a squeeze. His hand is high up my leg and he has enough inner flesh beneath his fingers to make me sit suddenly upright."
Downing Street described the allegation as "untrue", while Mr Johnson told ITV News he did not recall the lunch and said: "All I know is it is not true."
But Baroness Chakrabarti reignited the row on Sunday as she questioned why no investigation into the claims had been launched.
The intervention came as the Labour frontbencher batted away criticism of party deputy Tom Watson, who has come under fire for urging detectives to investigate now-discredited claims of a high profile abuse ring in Westminster.
"He stands accused if you like of being overly enthusiastic," she said of the Labour deputy.
"But just to get that in proportion: a week ago a very senior and respected journalist wrote testimony and published it in the Sunday Times that, if proven, would amount to indecent assault."
And she added: "Charlotte Edwardes wrote testimony that I read in the Sunday Times one week ago. If proven that would amount to an indecent assault perpetrated by a serving British Prime Minister. Who is investigating that?"
Acknowledging that Mr Johnson had denied the allegation, Baroness Chakrabarti continued: "He hasn't sued for libel, as I understand it. But who is going to investigate that in a country that believes in a rule of law and cares about victims and alleged victims of indecent assault?"
Downing Street has been approached for comment.
Speaking to ITV News about the allegation from Ms Edwardes earlier this week, Mr Johnson said: "It is not true, for all sorts of reasons.
"And I don’t wish, as I say, to minimise the importance of the subject, I don’t wish to... cast aspersions on the motives of anybody who makes this type of allegation but it is not true and what I want to do is focus on our domestic agenda."
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