Daniel Korski latest: Tory London mayoral hopeful drops out of race after groping claims
Daniel Korski said he decided ‘with a heavy heart’ to withdraw from the mayoral contest
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The Tory London mayoral candidate who allegedly groped a TV producer has pulled out of the contest.
Screenwriter and novelist Daisy Goodwin claims that Daniel Korski groped her breast after a meeting at Downing Street more than a decade ago.
Ms Goodwin has filed a formal complaint against Mr Korski and said she has “been contacted by other women with some very interesting stories”. Mr Korski has “categorically” denied Ms Goodwin’s claims.
In a statement, Mr Korski said: “I have decided, with a heavy heart, to withdraw from the Conservative mayoral contest.
“I categorically deny the allegation against me. Nothing was ever put to me formally ten years ago. Nor seven years ago when the allegation was alluded to. No investigation has ever taken place. I have been clear I would welcome and constructively participate in any investigation.
“However, the pressure on my family because of this false and unproven allegation, and the inability to get a hearing for my message of ‘The London Dream’, makes it impossible for my campaign to carry on.”
In reponse to the announcement, Ms Goodwin said is “glad” that Mr Korski has withdrawn from the race to be the Tory candidate for the London mayoralty.
Good morning, we’ll be using this blog to provide live updates on the latest developments, after Tory London mayoral hopeful Daniel Korski “categorically” denied groping allegations by screenwriter Daisy Goodwin.
Tory party facing growing pressure to investigate allegations
The Conservative Party is facing growing pressure to investigate allegations a London mayoral hopeful groped a TV producer’s breast in Downing Street.
The party initially said it would not look into claims Daniel Korski sexually assaulted Daisy Goodwin because it had not received a formal complaint. But on Tuesday evening Ms Goodwin said she had contacted the Cabinet Office to do just that.
Labour has called for Mr Korski to be suspended from the party and urged the Tories to launch a “thorough investigation”.
Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin and political correspondent Archie Mitchell have more in this report:
Tory party ‘knew about groping claims against London mayoral hopeful Daniel Korski’
Suspend mayoral candidate and launch a ‘thorough investigation’, says Labour
Daniel Korski claims Tory party officials knew about allegations
In an extraordinary development last night, Daniel Korski claimed Tory party bosses knew about the allegations, which he denies, long before they were revealed by Daisy Goodwin in The Times on Monday.
Mr Korski told TalkTV that he disclosed them during the mayoral race vetting process after he was asked if there were any “outstanding issues” the party should be aware of.
“And I said to the party ‘seven years ago, there was a story. I was never named in the story. As far as I know, there was no investigation.’ But I did mention this to the party,” he said.
Mr Korski insisted he was still standing to become the Tory mayoral candidate, adding: “All I can say is that she is wrong”.
Daniel Korski ‘categorically’ denies groping claim
Daniel Korski has “categorically” denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement on Twitter, the London mayoral hopeful said: “Politics can be a rough and challenging business. Unfortunately, in the midst of this demanding environment, this baseless allegation from the past has resurfaced.
“It is disheartening to find myself connected to this allegation after so many years, but I want to unequivocally state that I categorically deny any claim of inappropriate behaviour. I denied when it was alluded to 7 years [ago] and I do so now.”
Daisy Goodwin responds to Daniel Korski’s ‘categorical’ denial
Daisy Goodwin has now responded to Tory London mayoral hopeful Daniel Korski’s “categorical” denials to her allegations that he had groped her breast after a meeting in Downing Street a decade ago.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme after submitting a formal complaint on Tuesday evening, without which the Tory party initially refused to investigate, Ms Goodwin said: “I could say: ‘he would say that, wouldn’t he?’
“If he had come forward and said, ‘oh, I’m really sorry, something like this, I might have inadvertently touched her’, that would be a different story. But the fact that he’s categorically denied it is, to me, bizarre.”
Ms Goodwin added: “That’s what tends to happen in these situations. I think people have to decide who they choose to believe. There is no reason why I would come forward with this happening to me 10 years ago. I was shocked by it. I can’t say that I’m a victim, but I was shocked by it.”
Daisy Goodwin reveals more women have come forward after Daniel Korski groping allegations
Daisy Goodwin has suggested Daniel Korski may face further allegations of misconduct after she accused the mayoral hopeful of groping her.
The screenwriter and TV producer said she has “been contacted by other women with some very interesting stories” since alleging Mr Korski sexually assaulted her in Downing Street.
Ms Goodwin said she cannot discuss the stories about Mr Korski “for legal reasons”, but said they made her feel “entirely justified” for naming him.
Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell has more in this report:
Daniel Korski ‘welcomes any investigation’ and ‘will cooperate fully’, says his campaign
Daniel Korski’s campaign has issued another denial this morning following Daisy Goodwin’s latest remarks to the Today programme, which you can see in the posts below.
A campaign spokesperson said: “In the strongest possible terms, Dan categorically denies any allegation of inappropriate behaviour whatsoever.”
“He welcomes any investigation and will cooperate fully.”
Government minister ‘pauses’ support for Korski’s campaign
Education minister Claire Coutinho says she has “paused” support for Daniel Korski’s bid to be London mayor, calling Daisy Goodwin’s allegation against him “very serious and concerning” and stating that “if there is a complaint in the system, it needs to be followed up swiftly”.
Ms Coutinho, who had previously praised Mr Korski’s “clear vision for London”, told Sky News: “I would say I’d be on pause at the moment because lots of things are happening.”
Asked to confirm she has suspended her support, she said: “Yes, because I think we need to see what’s happened. But, at the same time, this is an allegation. He’s roundly denied it.
“If there is a complaint in the system, it needs to be followed up swiftly so we can find the facts and see what’s happened, but I do think it’s a very serious and concerning allegation.”
Daisy Goodwin says she is ‘certain’ over allegation
Asked by Martha Kearney on BBC Radio 4 whether there could there have been any ambiguity about the 10-year-old allegation, Daisy Goodwin said: “I’m really surprised you’re asking me that, Martha.
“Yes it happened to me 10 years ago, but when something like this happens to you, you know that it’s happened to you because you were there, you felt it. You felt amazed, shocked and rather humiliated. To ask me if I’m certain is to ask me if I’m making it up. That’s not the case.”
As Ms Kearney responded that the reason for her question was because of Mr Korski’s “categorical” denials, Ms Goodwin added: “Well, I could say: ‘he would say that, wouldn’t he?’
“If he had come forward and said, ‘oh, I’m really sorry, something like this, I might have inadvertently touched her’, that would be a different story. But the fact that he’s categorically denied it is, to me, bizarre.”
Journalist ‘not surprised’ Daisy Goodwin found it hard to complain
Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:
The journalist who shamed a Tory MP for calling her “totty” has thrown her weight behind Daisy Goodwin, describing her decision to name Mr Korski as “very brave”.
Isabel Hardman, who reported the Tory MP’s “sexist” remark to the whips at the time, said women complaining are not taken seriously.
And Ms Hardman said that when Ms Goodwin wrote in 2017 about being groped in Downing Street – without naming Mr Korski – her cleavage was “miraculously” pictured “all over the newspapers”.
“The suggestion was by having a certain size chest, she might have been asking for this,” Ms Hardman said. She told The BBC’s Woman's Hour: “That's the kind of treatment she knew she was going to get if she raised it again. So it's very brave of her to do so.”
She added that she was “not surprised” Ms Goodwin had found it difficult to complain, as victims face a “confusing mix of departments and individuals”, adding: “What it shows is there is a reluctance to encourage complaints and deal with them in a timely fashion.”
Ms Hardman raised her own complaint after meeting a Tory MP who said to her: “I want to talk to the totty.”
And she said reporting it led to an “endless debate” about whether being called “totty” was a compliment, while pictures of her body were used in the media to “suggest I was asking to be called totty”.
“I don’t think I would do it again, because it was a complete pain the amount of attention it got,” she said.
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