An MP under investigation for allegedly watching pornography in municipalities said he had opened a file by mistake, but would only resign if convicted.
Conservative MP Neil Parish addressed Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards on Friday, days after two female Tory MPs said they had witnessed him watch pornography on his mobile phone in two separate cases – once in the City Hall and another in commission.
The Tiverton and Honiton MP, when asked at his home in Somerset if he had opened a file “by mistake”, said: “I did, but let the investigation consider this.”
He said he would wait for the findings of the investigation while he continues to “perform his duties”, but “will not stay” if he is found guilty.
“I will cooperate fully in any investigation and, while it is ongoing, I will continue to serve as MP for Tiverton and Honiton,” he wrote on his website.
However, there were calls for him to resign immediately, with Labor MP Harriet Harman saying he should step down from parliament “immediately”.
The longest-serving female lawmaker described the situation as “a new low level for the House of Commons” and said Mr Parish “is not fit to be in parliament”.
“He must accept this and not drag the lawsuits,” she told BBC Radio 4.
Liberal Democrat leader Daisy Cooper has called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to order Mr Parish to “resign immediately”, saying the behavior would be considered a gross violation of any other job.
Mr Parish, who was removed from the party on Friday, said he would “fully comply” with the investigation, apologizing and revealing that he had told his wife only this afternoon.
Sue Parish, with whom he has been married for 40 years, said the whole episode was a bit silly and the allegations were “very embarrassing”.
Asked if her husband had watched porn before, she told The Times: “No. He’s a perfectly normal person, really. He is a wonderful man. It’s just so stupid.
“People should not watch pornography. He will never sit there with the people watching. [people were looking].
“These ladies were quite right to be like that [upset] as they were. I just have no idea what’s going on in these circumstances. I don’t know if it ever happened. “
She added that pornography was “humiliating, humiliating” for women, but said it would be “stupid” to leave it between them, adding: “I’m pretty tough, you have to keep going, right?”
Ms Parish said she did not know what would happen to her husband’s career, but told The Times: “I don’t think it will continue, do I?
“That’s so stupid. He’s such a good MP. He’s such a good person.”
The main whip looked “terrible”
Mr Parish’s name was revealed by the Tories’ main whip after the MP reported to Standards Commissioner Catherine Stone on Friday.
A spokesman for the main whip said: “Mr Parish has been removed from the Conservative whip pending the outcome of this investigation.”
Political Center: Democratic Party calls for Neil Parish’s resignation, Labor accuses Tory of “cover-up”
Two female Conservative MPs made the indictment against Mr Parish during a meeting of female Conservative MPs on Tuesday night, but the whip service did not name him publicly.
A lawmaker at the meeting said Tory chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris looked “horrified” when informed and asked for the man’s identity.
About 50 to 60 female Tory MPs are said to have attended the meeting.
It is now understood that Mr Parish is at the center of two investigations – one by Parliamentary Commissioner Catherine Stone after he approached her, and the other by the Independent Complaints and Complaints Scheme (ICGS), to which one referred him. from the witnesses of the deputies. .
Who is Neil Parish?
A farmer by profession, Neil Parish has been an MP from Tiverton and Honiton since 2010. He was previously an MEP.
A father of two and a grandfather of two, he still lives on the family farm, according to his official website.
In the last election, he had a strong majority of 24,239, securing 60% of the vote.
Throughout politics, his focus has “always been on protecting the people and being a strong voice for the province,” his biography said.
He is the current chair of the Committee on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and, as such, is also a member of the powerful liaison committee.
Mr Parish is campaigning to stay in the EU, which he says is “the best option for British agriculture”. However, he promised to “fight tooth and nail” to get the best Brexit deal for farmers.
Labor accuses Tory of “cover-up”
Thangam Debbonaire, a Labor shadow leader in the House of Commons, said: “The Conservatives have known for days about the disgusting behavior of one of their MPs and have tried to cover it up.
“From the Owen Patterson scandal to their failure to act against their pedophile MP Imran Ahmad Khan, this is a government that is rotting upside down. Britain deserves better.
On Thursday, Boris Johnson addressed the prosecution for the first time, saying: “It is obviously unacceptable for anyone to do such a thing in the workplace.
“It would be the same for any job up and down the country.
“It is clear that such behavior is completely unacceptable.”
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0:38 Porn watching MP “unacceptable”
Other cabinet ministers also spoke out against the allegations, with Government Efficiency Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg saying it was “extremely and appalling”.
Health Minister Sajid Javid said culture should change in Westminster after “several cases of inappropriate and sexist behavior”.
Attorney General Suela Braverman has suggested that if the charges are proven, the culprit could be removed or even expelled from parliament.
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