Former government whip Chris Pincher is to appeal against an eight-week parliamentary suspension imposed on him following allegations that he drunkenly groped two men at the Carlton Club in central London last year. This month, the standards committee found that the MP’s conduct last summer was “profoundly damaging” and amounted to an abuse of power. The committee recommended the suspension as it upheld allegations Pincher “groped” two men at the club while he was the Conservative deputy chief whip, in a scandal that hastened Boris Johnson’s downfall. Thursday was the last day for Pincher, who remains MP for Tamworth, to lodge an appeal against the committee’s findings. The proposed suspension exceeds the 10-day threshold that could trigger a recall petition in his Staffordshire seat. If 10% of constituents sign the petition, there will be a byelection. The appeal was confirmed in a letter from the independent expert panel, which determines appeals, to the Commons speaker. The start of summer recess had meant that even if Pincher, 53, had not appealed, MPs would not have been able to approve any suspension until September. News of the appeal came as it emerged that Pincher received a £7,920 severance payment after stepping down as a minister at the end of June 2022.