MP Connor Burns dismissed as minister, Tory whip suspended pending investigation

MP Conor Burns has been fired by the government following allegations of “gross misconduct.”

The former trade minister also suspended the Tory whip pending an investigation into “allegations of improper conduct” earlier this week.

According to The Sun, the Bournemouth West MP, who has held the seat since 2010, said he would cooperate fully with the investigation and “looked forward to clearing his name”.

Burns was named secretary of state at the Department of International Trade last month, with Liz Truss being the 10th highest-ranking secretary of state.

He was a former Minister in the Northern Ireland Office and a strong ally of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

“It is clear that the Prime Minister should take direct action upon being notified of this allegation and that all ministers should uphold the high standards of conduct that the public rightly expects.”

A spokesperson for The Whip’s Office said:

“We take all such allegations very seriously. The Prime Minister has made it clear that the highest standards in public life must be maintained.”

The PA has reached out to Burns for comment.

Government Minister Victoria Prentice said the allegations were “clearly concerning” but was confident the issue was being taken “very seriously”.

“I think all I can say is that the prime minister has taken decisive action and I will make sure this is properly investigated,” she told Times Radio.

“We all expect and want to maintain the highest standards in public life, so we are always worried when it comes to politics as a whole.”

The development is the latest in a string of scandals rocking the Conservative Party, including a groping allegation against former deputy party leader Chris Pincher.

In May, former Conservative MP Neil Parrish resigned from his seats in Tiverton and Honiton after admitting to watching porn on the Commons.

Just two weeks later, an unnamed Conservative MP was arrested on seven-year rape and sexual assault charges.