Conor Burns regains Tory whip after being cleared of ‘touching young man’s thigh’

The ex-minister Conor Burns has regained the Conservative whip after being cleared of “serious misconduct” at the party’s annual conference.

The former trade minister alleged that he had been the victim of a “stitch-up” because he had complimented one of Liz Truss’s leadership rivals.

Mr Burns was dismissed from his post in October by the then prime minister and stripped of the Conservative whip after an allegation that he had been spotted touching a young man’s thigh at a hotel bar in Birmingham.

The party said in a statement that after reviewing all the available evidence, it had concluded there was "no basis on which to investigate further" and that the matter was closed.

'Crossfire of the dying days'

In an interview with his local newspaper, the MP for Bournemouth West spoke of the impact the episode had on him.

He told the Bournemouth Daily Echo: “The last two months have been a living nightmare, not just for me, especially for my elderly parents, for my many friends and my wider family and all those who love and care for me.

“When you get to the point where your 80-year-old father is saying: ‘When is this going to end?’ and you spend your time reassuring everyone else you are fine when actually you are far from fine is very difficult.”

Mr Burns claimed he had been caught in the “crossfire of the dying days” of Ms Truss’s government and “thrown to the wolves”.

“I think this all had become more to do with nice things I had said about the Trade Secretary than about being up late at the conference.”

He added: “It felt and smelt like a stitch-up and that is what it was.”

Mr Burns also said that he intended to stand at the next general election.

In a statement, a Conservative Party spokesman said: "The party received a complaint and investigated in line with its code of conduct.

"After undertaking appropriate inquiries and reviewing all of the evidence available to establish the facts, the party concluded that there was no basis on which to investigate further.

"The matter is now closed and Mr Burns's membership will be reinstated at the nearest possible opportunity."