‘I was not proud of what I was doing’
Tory MP Neil Parish has officially resigned after admitting to watching porn twice whilst in the House of Commons, according to reports.
Confirmed by the BBC earlier today, the MP for Tiverton and Honiton in Devon claimed that the incidents had been a “moment of madness” and that the first occurrence had happened accidentally while he was looking at tractors but the second was deliberate.
Speaking to the outlet, Parish explained that “I was not proud of what I was doing.”
On Friday, the 65-year-old MP and chair of the Commons Environment Committee had the Conservative whip suspended after two female colleagues claimed they had witnessed Parish viewing pornographic material whilst sitting near him in the Commons.
While a statement on Parish’s website appeared to suggest that he would not immediately resign – instead continuing to work while the results of the Commons standards commission’s inquiry had been revealed – this news confirms that this will no longer be the case.
Parish previously suggested that he had viewed the material by mistake before telling the BBC “Of course it’s embarrassing,” adding “And it’s embarrassing for my wife and family, and so that’s my main concern at the moment. I have a very supportive wife and I thank her for that.”
Parish also confirmed that he will cooperate fully with the inquiry.
In an interview with The Times, Parish’s wife Sue Parish described the situation as “very embarrassing” before saying her husband was “quite a normal guy” and a “lovely person” – adding that she understood why the women who made the accusation were upset.
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