The Conservatives are accused of failing to take action against an MP who watched porn in the municipality, amid doubts about when an investigation will begin – or whether it will take place at all.
Labor and some Tories wanted to know why the whip was not removed by an unnamed MP after he was identified by two colleagues as watching porn on his phone.
The Tories proposed an independent grievance scheme to investigate the dispute, but acknowledged that only witnesses, not third parties, could launch an investigation in parliament.
A senior Conservative MP told The Independent that “in any other job” someone facing such an accusation would be fired, while another said the party should “fire him now”.
The Independent Complaints and Complaints Scheme (ICGS) is followed, but – in addition to requiring a witness to testify – it can take many months to complete an investigation.
The Conservative Party declined to say whether the two witnesses were happy with the ICGS, conducting the investigation, after meeting with Chief Whipper Chris Heaton-Harris.
Caroline Knox, a former minister, has protested that by asking lawmakers to investigate, instead of taking strict action on her own, her party has been “kicked in the long grass”.
A Tory MP said they expected the party to “grab this with both hands and immediately withdraw the whip from anyone”.
The deputy chairman of the 1922 rear Tories committee revealed that he would “work closely with the main whip to really look into this”, asking why the MP’s name remained secret.
“Look around for a very, very long time, look at your soul. And ask yourself, do I still have to be here? “That’s what Nicky Icon told the Times radio.
And Keir Starmer wanted to know why the Conservatives are delaying, since the identity of the MP’s violator is known at the party’s office.
“This is an unusual case because the Tory party knows who this man is,” the Labor leader said during the Cumbria local election campaign.
“I think they need to deal with it and deal with it sooner rather than later and take appropriate action.
The Independent was told that some conservative men had questioned the seriousness of the crime, suggesting that the MP may have “opened an email inadvertently and contained porn”.
However, one of the complainants, a minister, said that the incident was not quick and that the man seemed to be aware that he had been seen but was still watching porn.
A second Tory MP said she had also seen the man watch pornography. She is believed to have tried to film him as proof of what he was doing.
Government sources suggest that the man in question is a back judge, not a minister, acknowledging that his identity is known.
The indictment’s meeting on Tuesday night was attended by some of the Conservative Party’s top women, including Theresa May and some current ministers.
The Independent was told that “the general opinion of the meeting is that this MP should be removed from the party.”
Pressure also came from the government, including Attorney General Suela Braverman, as she warned a minority of men in the “behave like animals” policy.
“The reed must be removed if the case is proven,” Ms. Braverman said, adding, “I’m ashamed that this man is wearing the Conservative rosette.”
“I think they really need to be withdrawn and no longer hold this privileged position as a Member of Parliament.
Speaking in Burnley, Boris Johnson called the alleged behavior “obviously unacceptable” – but insisted that referring to the ICGS was the right thing to do.
“What needs to happen now is to follow the right procedures, to activate the independent grievance procedure and to understand the facts,” he said.
ICGS will also not confirm or deny if the investigation is initiated as it “operates on the basis of absolute confidentiality”.
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