A Tory secretary who was at the centre of one of the most infamous ‘#metoo’ scandals at Westminster has defected to work for Nigel Farage.
Caroline Edmondson revealed in The Mail on Sunday in 2017 that Mark Garnier had called her sugar t**s in front of witnesses and given her cash to buy two vibrators at a sex shop in Soho in 2010, standing outside while she bought them.
Mr Garnier, who was a Brexit Minister for Theresa May at the time, was investigated by then-senior civil servant Sue Gray, who is now Sir Keir Starmer’s Chief of Staff.
Ms Edmondson, 61, who has worked for Tory MPs including Michael Ancram, Steve Norris and John Whittingdale over a 40-year career, will manage the Reform leader’s Commons office.
Her brother, Christopher Edmondson, was the Reform UK candidate in West Worcestershire, coming fourth in July’s General Election.
Last night she said: ‘I’m very happy in my new role. There are exciting times ahead. This is the party of the future. Watch this space!’
The ‘sugar t**s’ row came as Westminster was being swept by allegations of inappropriate behaviour by MPs.
Ms Edmondson said wealthy ex-banker Mr Garnier told her one of the sex toys was for his wife, also called Caroline, while the other was for a female assistant in his Wyre Forest constituency office in the West Midlands.
When approached by the MoS, Mr Garnier said: ‘I’m not going to deny it, because I’m not going to be dishonest. I’m going to have to take it on the chin.’
He has said his sugar t**s comment was part of a conversation about sitcom Gavin & Stacey, in which the phrase is used as a term of endearment.
He denied that asking Ms Edmondson to buy sex toys in Soho constituted sexual harassment, saying it was ‘good-humoured high jinks’.
He said he told Ms Edmondson he didn’t think it was a good idea, but she went ahead.
He claimed they later fell out and disgruntled Ms Edmondson had been using the incident against him ‘ever since’.
Ms Edmondson denied his claims.
She said: ‘Another time in the bar he said to me in the hearing of others: “You are going nowhere, sugar t**s.”
‘He was worried I was going to go off and work for another MP. It was awful.’
Ms Gray found Mr Garnier had not breached the ministerial code, as the incident took place before he was appointed.