Probe as Tory MP caught watching PORN on his phone in the Commons
Tories launch probe into claim a senior MP was caught watching PORN on his phone in the House Of Commons after female politicians raised the alarm
- The allegation made by female MP who said she was sat next to him at the time
- Came at a meeting of female MPs to discuss sexist culture in Parliament
- Tories said chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris was looking into the complaints
The Conservatives have launched an embarrassing investigation into claims a Tory MP watched porn on his phone while sat in the House of Commons.
The allegation was made at a meeting of female politicians about the sexist culture prevalent in Parliament attended by figures including Theresa May.
The MP has not been named, but one female MP told the meeting on Tuesday they had been sat next to him at the time, while a second corroborated it.
There were also claims he did it on other occasions in the chamber, and also while taking part in a Commons committee hearing.
A statement from the Conservative whips office said: ‘The chief whip (Chris Heaton-Harris) is looking into this matter.
‘This behaviour is wholly unacceptable and action will be taken.’
Northern Ireland Minister Conor Burns told BBC Politics Live the behaviour was ‘wrong’.
‘I’m not going to even attempt to defend it. If the facts are established then action should be taken decisively,’ he said.
The MP has not been named, but one female MP told the meeting they had been sat next to him at the time, while a second corroborated it.
A statement from the Conservative whips office said: ‘The chief whip (Chris Heaton-Harris, left) is looking into this matter.’
The MP was said to have been watching pornography while sat in the Commons alongside colleagues (chamber pictured today)
No10 declined to comment on the scandal today. The PM’s press secretary denied the Tories have a problem with sleazy behaviour.
‘The PM talked in the chamber about there being procedures in place where this can be raised,’ she said.
According to the Sun, one attendant of the meeting said: ‘Around 14 MPs got up one after the other to describe their experiences – it was shocking.
‘One MP was left in tears. They wanted the Chief Whip to find the man and kick him out of the party.’
Asked about the claim, Tory MP Brandan Clarke-Smith told BBC Politics Live it was hard to even get a signal in the chamber, adding: ‘I think it’s unacceptable in any workplace really. I don’t think it’s necessarily unique to the HoC.
‘If someone has done that then quite rightly I would expect there to be some consequences for that.’
At the weekend it was revealed three Cabinet ministers and two shadow cabinet ministers are reportedly facing allegations of sexual misconduct after complaints to Parliament’s harassment watchdog.
The allegations are being investigated by the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), the regulator set up in the wake of the ‘Pestminster’ scandal that swept Westminster in 2017.
The Sunday Times reported the five frontbenchers were facing investigations and said the cases were among 56 MPs who had been referred to the ICGS over about 70 separate complaints. The ICGS, which was set up in 2018, declined to comment.
Addressing the issue at Prime minister’s Questions, Boris Johnson said sexual misconduct would be ‘grounds for dismissal’ for ministers.
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas (Brighton Pavilion) said: ‘Fifty six members of this House are under investigation for sexual misconduct. That includes three of his cabinet ministers.
‘The Prime Minister has just rightly said that there can be no place for sexism and misogyny in this House, so can he now confirm whether he considers that sexual harassment, apparently unlike bullying and lying, is grounds for dismissal under the ministerial code?’
Boris Johnson replied: ‘Of course sexual harassment is intolerable and it is quite right that members should now have a procedure by which they can bring that to the attention of the House authorities and I think that is a good thing, and of course it is grounds for dismissal.’
House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle last week said he was about to launch a review of working practices in Parliament after several high-profile cases.
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