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Mark Garnier sacked: Tory minister who admitted asking secretary to buy sex toys loses job | Mark Garnier sacked: Tory minister who admitted asking secretary to buy sex toys loses job |
(35 minutes later) | |
Tory MP Mark Garnier has been sacked from his role as international trade minister, as Theresa May's reshuffle enters its second day. | |
The Member of Parliament for Wyre Forest had previously admitted calling his secretary “sugar t*ts” and asking her to buy sex toys. | |
But a Cabinet Office investigation in December cleared him of wrongdoing and found there was no evidence he had “breached the expected standards of behaviour”. | |
Mr Garnier said in a Tuesday morning Twitter post he was “very sad” to have lost his job, but was “looking forward” to supporting the Prime Minister from the backbenches. | Mr Garnier said in a Tuesday morning Twitter post he was “very sad” to have lost his job, but was “looking forward” to supporting the Prime Minister from the backbenches. |
The father-of-three faced a probe after his former secretary, Caroline Edmondson, told the Mail on Sunday he gave her money to buy two vibrators at a Soho sex shop. | |
Ms Edmondson claimed the Tory MP told her one of the sex toys was for his wife and the other was for a female assistant in his West Midlands constituency. | |
On another occasion, he was alleged to have told her: “You are going nowhere, sugar t*ts.” | |
Mr Garnier admitted the incidents took place, telling the Sunday paper, “I’m not going to be dishonest. I’m going to have to take it on the chin.” | |
But he denied the 2010 incident constituted sexual harassment, saying the sex toys were bought after a Christmas lunch and the “vibrator shop was high jinks”. | |
He said his “sugar t*ts” comment was part of “an amusing conversation” about TV programme Gavin And Stacey. | |
Mr Garnier said he and Ms Edmondson later fell out and that she had been using the incident against him “ever since”. | |
Mr Garnier’s sacking follows the exits of chairman Patrick McLoughlin and education secretary Justine Greening. | |
Critics said the Prime Minister's January reshuffle shows she is weak, with Ms Greening and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt rebutting attempts to move them into new roles. | |
The first day of the Prime Minister's reshuffle has fallen flat, with ministers including Ms Greening and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt | |
After Mr Garnier announced his job loss, Conservative MP Robert Goodwill confirmed he had left his role as education minister. |