British Trade Secretary Conor Burns has been fired from the government following a complaint of serious misconduct.
Burns, 50, was also removed from his leadership position in the Conservative Party during an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior believed to have taken place earlier this week.
The British government said: “The Prime Minister took direct action upon being informed of this allegation.”
“I will fully cooperate with the party’s investigation and look forward to my clearing,” Burns said.
In a series of tweets, Burns clarified that he was not given any information regarding the complaint and “I was not asked to provide any information.”
“I hope the party will be as quick to conduct its investigation as it has to pass judgment,” he added.
“Following a complaint of serious misconduct, the Prime Minister has asked Representative Conor Burns to leave his government office immediately,” the prime minister’s office said.
“It is clear that all ministers must maintain high standards of behaviour, as the public rightly expects,” a spokesman for Liz Truss added.
BBC political correspondent Leila NATO says Conor Burns, who is seen as a key ally of Boris Johnson, has been trade minister for exactly one month, but is now out of government.
“But it is clear that Liz Truss wants to be seen to act quickly once morest allegations of wrongdoing. She states that her predecessor, Boris Johnson, was criticized for taking so long to respond to allegations of inappropriate conduct.”
A spokesman for the Conservative Party’s discipline body said: “We have suspended his membership pending an investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct earlier this week.”
“We take all of these allegations very seriously. The Prime Minister has been clear that the highest standards in public life must be upheld.”
“Just one month into her tenure as prime minister, the Liz Truss government was hit by a scandal,” Labor Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said. It added that it was “the latest in a long line of allegations of serious misconduct, and raises serious questions not only regarding another minister but regarding the prime minister’s decision to refuse to appoint an independent moral advisor”.
Burns, who has been an MP for Bournemouth West since 2010, served as minister under Liz Terrace and Boris Johnson.
In 2020, he resigned as Minister of Commerce following a parliamentary watchdog ruled that he had used his position to “intimidate a member of the public”.
He later returned to government as a minister in the Northern Ireland office, and was engaged in this week’s discussions of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
picture released, PA Medium
In August, Burns attended the funeral of former Northern Ireland First Minister Lord Trimble, along with Prime Minister Michael Martin.
allegations of misconduct
Burns’ dismissal is the latest in a string of scandals to hit the Conservative Party.
Earlier this year, Conservative Party deputy Chris Pincher was suspended by the party following he allegedly molested two men at a club, triggering a chain reaction that led to Johnson stepping down as Prime Minister. He denied the allegations.
Neil Parrish resigned as Conservative MP in April following admitting to viewing pornography in the House of Commons.
Work and Pensions Minister Victoria Prentice said the allegations were “clearly concerning”, but received assurances that the matter was being taken “very seriously”.
“I think all I can say is that the prime minister has taken decisive action, and we will make sure that this is properly investigated,” she told Radio Times.
“In terms of politics as a whole, it is always concerning because we all expect and hope to maintain the highest standards in public life.”
Conservative MP Simon Hoare defended Burns, saying: “You can’t find someone who works harder, so I am very sad that he lost his position in government.” He told the BBC he hoped Burns would return to government to continue “as an effective minister.” to be done “quickly” and “on the assumption… that you are innocent until proven guilty.”
