No 10 says inquiry into Mark Field’s conduct was a matter for the previous PM

Boris Johnson has dropped the Whitehall investigation into Mark Field, the Tory MP who was caught on camera manhandling a Greenpeace activist out of a black-tie dinner.

Johnson has sacked Field from his role as a Foreign Office minister since taking over as prime minister and decided that the investigation was no longer needed.

A No 10 spokesman said: “Mark Field has now left the government. The current PM considers this issue was a matter for the previous PM concerning his conduct during his time as a minister under her appointment.”

Field had been suspended from his role at the FCO but was allowed to retain the Conservative party whip.

A Cabinet Office investigation began into his behaviour towards the activist, Janet Barker, who was part of a protest disrupting a black-tie dinner in the City of London.

The decision to drop the investigation comes at a time when Johnson cannot afford to lose the support of any MPs, as he has a majority of just three which may drop to two after the Brecon and Radnorshire byelection.

Louise Haigh, the shadow policing minister, said: “Never mind not being fit for a job in government, Mark Field isn’t fit to be an MP. It’s not good enough for the prime minister to say that he considers the matter settled.

“Having previously failed to condemn his actions, this is a test of Boris Johnson’s attitude towards women. He should kick him out of the Conservative party immediately.”

After the incident, police said they were investigating third-party reports of assault made against Field, who apologised to the protester.

However, City of London police later said they had reviewed the events of that evening and the views of Barker, before deciding to take no further action.

The MP for the Cities of London and Westminster said he had felt threatened when the protester walked past him and was worried she might have been armed.

At the time Barker said she was incredulous at his reaction and welcomed the suspension but would not want criminal charges to be brought. “I think it is something best dealt with in the court of opinion,” she said.

Barker said Field had pushed her so hard as they reached the door that she had almost fallen. She said he should take anger management classes. “I want him to think about what he did, why he did it and address his behaviour.”

She said she had made no sudden movements or behaved in any way that could have been construed as physically threatening. “I had a phone and a tiny handbag, which was open and full of leaflets,” she said. “The only thing I was armed with was peer-reviewed science.”

In a statement released before his suspension, Field said he had reacted “instinctively”. He said he “grasped the intruder firmly in order to remove her from the room as swiftly as possible.

“I deeply regret this episode and unreservedly apologise to the lady concerned for grabbing her but in the current climate I felt I needed to act decisively to close down the threat to the safety of those present.”

Field said he had referred himself to the Cabinet Office to “examine if there has been a breach of the ministerial code” and that he would cooperate fully with its investigation.