Minister said she ‘probably would have slapped’ Stanley Johnson

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said she probably would have “slapped” Stanley Johnson if he touched her in the manner Caroline Nokes has alleged.

Ms Nokes said earlier this week that Mr Johnson, the prime minister’s father, had inappropriately touched her and told her she has “a lovely seat” at the party’s 2003 conference in Blackpool.

Trevelyan told Sky News Breakfast programme this morning that she supported her fellow Conservative MP’s decision to speak out about the accusation, explaining: “I’m very, very glad that anyone stands up to… this sort of, as she suggests, behaviour that goes on.”

She said “I will leave Caroline to work with the party on that [a potential investigation] but we have a robust system in place and I hope very much she’ll be able to work that through with the party machine.”

She added that “At the time, I would have probably slapped him,” when asked how she would have reacted, explaining, “it would’ve been an instinctive response from me and I think Caroline would’ve shown great personal restraint if she quietly moved away.”