PM Johnson's spokesman denies groping allegations as party conference opens

 

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is seen outside the venue for the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester, Britain, September 29, 2019. REUTERS/Phil Noble

 

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied allegations that Johnson groped two women 20 years ago.

 

As Johnson prepares to lead the United Kingdom out of the European Union on Oct. 31, his past relations with several women have come under scrutiny. The allegations overshadowed the Conservative Party's annual conference which opened on Sunday.

 

Charlotte Edwardes, a columnist, wrote in The Sunday Times that Johnson had groped her at a lunch in 1999 when he was editor of The Spectator magazine.

 

"Under the table, I feel Johnson’s hand on my thigh. He gives it a squeeze," Edwardes wrote. "His hand is high up my leg and he has enough inner flesh beneath his fingers to make me sit suddenly upright."

 

Edwardes said that after the meal, she confided in another woman who had sat on the other side of Johnson. The other woman said Johnson had also groped her, Edwardes said.

 

The prime minister's spokesman told reporters: "This allegation is untrue."

 

After the denial by Downing Street, Edwardes said on Twitter: "If the prime minister doesn’t recollect the incident then clearly I have a better memory than he does."

 

Finance minister Sajid Javid repeatedly refused to address the allegations when questioned on Monday but said the prime minister had said they were untrue.

 

"I've talked to the prime minister about that and first of all he couldn't be clearer - absolutely clear - that they (the claims) are completely untrue," Javid told the BBC.

 

London's Labour-run local government said on Friday it had referred Johnson to Britain’s police watchdog for potential investigation over allegations of misconduct involving a U.S. businesswoman while he was mayor of London.

 

The referral follows allegations, first reported by The Sunday Times, that when Johnson was mayor, he failed to declare close personal links to tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri who received thousands of pounds in public business funding and places on official trade trips.

 

Asked about the referral, Johnson's spokesman said: "The prime minister as mayor of London did a huge amount of work when selling our capital city around the world, beating the drum for London and the UK."

 

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Gareth Jones)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-30

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13 minutes ago, webfact said:

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied allegations that Johnson groped two women 20 years ago.

I groped women twenty years ago. Where's my ten minutes of fame?

 

Just before the press start more boring stories, I'll get in first - I've farted in public before, too. Once in the face of an obnoxious kid in a department store in Newcastle - that definitely made him cry.

When I was 19 , I was at a party and I drank some beer and then I squeezed a womans breast .

  I should go and confess to the Police and receive my punishment 

54 minutes ago, webfact said:

PM Johnson's ...  groping allegations

If you don't like your political opponent (male)

or any male

just invent some groping allegations

(may be even pay a willing woman for that)

 

distasteful

She has such a good memory that she forgot to complain for 20 years!

13 minutes ago, CRUNCHER said:

She has such a good memory that she forgot to complain for 20 years!

Well there's no point complaining until the bounder becomes someone more important.

An old hag trying to get attention I think.

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Johnson had groped her at a lunch in 1999

it was on the menu: spotted dick with a grope

18 hours ago, webfact said:

I've talked to the prime minister about that and first of all he couldn't be clearer - absolutely clear - that they (the claims) are completely untrue," Javid told the BBC.

Given johnson’s relationship with the truth, then the assault claim is more than likely to be true...

27 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Given johnson’s relationship with the truth, then the assault claim is more than likely to be true...

I thought that Johnson wanted to be moulded in Trump's image. Needs a few more to come forward.

Let me guess she is either a lefty, an EU sicophant or both. Nothing else fits except a dramatic need to be heard by the plebs after 2 decades of wet dreams.

Accurately summed up as explained:

and again with a little humour (which, incidentally survived a twitter complaint) :

 

2 minutes ago, evadgib said:

Accurately summed up as explained:

and again with a little humour (which, incidentally survived a twitter complaint) :

 

She is actually the girlfriend of Robert Peston, whether he had any input into these allegations remains to be seen, but she started a new job with the London Evening Standard in 2015, I just wonder whether that had anything to do with triggering an incident that happened 20 years ago, could be a nice little earner.

1 minute ago, vogie said:

She is actually the girlfriend of Robert Peston, whether he had any input into these allegations remains to be seen, but she started a new job with the London Evening Standard in 2015, I just wonder whether that had anything to do with triggering an incident that happened 20 years ago, could be a nice little earner.

Peston mentioned their relationship during last nights 'News at Ten' but IMO should have gone further and recused.

20 minutes ago, sandyf said:

I thought that Johnson wanted to be moulded in Trump's image. Needs a few more to come forward.

You always seem to think wrong...Plus you want more remainers to dig up any dirt they can find to try to scuttle the peoples vote....Sad really....????....

But then that's where the expression "Coming out the woodwork" came from..

4 minutes ago, transam said:

You always seem to think wrong...Plus you want more remainers to dig up any dirt they can find to try to scuttle the peoples vote....Sad really....????....

But then that's where the expression "Coming out the woodwork" came from..

I agree re that attitude.

Can you imagine the kerfuffle if BJ had squeezed Pestons thigh rather than his girlfriends?

(& when is Parky going to whinge, given EVERYONE squeezes his!)

5 minutes ago, transam said:

You always seem to think wrong...Plus you want more remainers to dig up any dirt they can find to try to scuttle the peoples vote....Sad really....????....

But then that's where the expression "Coming out the woodwork" came from..

Tongue in cheek but you have to enter the "pots" and "black" arena, nothing new there.

Written in the present tense, & worded to sound as salacious as possible.

 

 

"Under the table, I feel Johnson’s hand on my thigh. He gives it a squeeze," Edwardes wrote. "His hand is high up my leg and he has enough inner flesh beneath his fingers to make me sit suddenly upright."

 

Twenty years later, she complains about it....

 

Load of nonsense.

Bickering and baiting posts sniping at other posters have been removed also replies

2 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

it was on the menu: spotted dick with a grope

Could have been fish - grouper.

 

It start looking more & more a Conservative "House of Cards "  …. as also the main star Kevin Spacy lost his career for a groping moment....????

It seems as if BJ and Donald are twins in mind and action. 

The one already will undergo an impeachment procedure, now please give the other one a hefty kick down to the ditch. ????

4 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Given johnson’s relationship with the truth, then the assault claim is more than likely to be true...

 

That's false equivalence!

 

"He's a known liar so therefore anything she says his more likely to be true".

 

No logic there whatsoever. The veracity of her statement is not related to the honesty of the object.

21 hours ago, sweatalot said:

If you don't like your political opponent (male)

or any male

just invent some groping allegations

(may be even pay a willing woman for that)

 

distasteful

Indeed. It's becoming the mode of choice to attack prominent men that one opposes. Just accuse them of something a bit naughty, and hope it puts off enough metoo to swing the vote. No need for proof of any sort and can't be sued for lies as it just possibly could be true. 

Boris should counter claim that the women in question fondled his genitals before he put his hand on their thigh.

BTW, doesn't "groping" mean putting a hand on genitals? They appear to be saying he only put his hand on their thigh. If he did, why didn't they slap his face, back then, instead of coming out with an unproveable smear 20 years later. Did they even tell anyone else?

Hopefully most people will file this under BS, where it belongs.

21 hours ago, sanemax said:

When I was 19 , I was at a party and I drank some beer and then I squeezed a womans breast .

  I should go and confess to the Police and receive my punishment 

40 years ago I went to a party and did a barracuda on a girl. Do I get to be reported for it now? NB I did it in full view of everyone else there and she didn't complain at the time.

Did she also report that after he squeezed her leg she disappeared under the table to give BJ and BJ. And all was fine until the moment she realized he won't marry her.

 

What? You think this is not the truth? No evidence?

Exactly, there is no evidence any of this ever happened.

16 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

40 years ago I went to a party and did a barracuda on a girl. Do I get to be reported for it now? NB I did it in full view of everyone else there and she didn't complain at the time.

Was it a hemi...?

5 minutes ago, transam said:

Was it a hemi...?

Sorry, I don't get the connection of a hemi ( hemi what? ) and a barracuda on a girl.

I'm waiting for someone to ask what a barracuda on a girl is, but perhaps they still do them now, even in the metoo age.

 

PS, I just googled it and google doesn't know what it is. 

 

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Sorry, I don't get the connection of a hemi ( hemi what? ) and a barracuda on a girl.

I'm waiting for someone to ask what a barracuda on a girl is, but perhaps they still do them now, even in the metoo age.

 

Plymouth Hemi Barracuda, the ride of your life.....????

 

3 minutes ago, transam said:

Plymouth Hemi Barracuda, the ride of your life.....????

 

Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is that from back in the days of real steel, when men were men, women didn't dress like men, and metoo meant "me, too"?

 

No, it's nothing to do with a barracuda on a girl.

 

I have to close the computer now, so any that want to know what it is will have to wait.

 

Happy trails.