Tory MP William Wragg resigns Conservative whip after being caught in honeytrap sexting scandal
9 April 2024, 18:42 | Updated: 9 April 2024, 19:01
A Tory MP who was caught in a 'honeytrap' sexting scandal has resigned the Conservative whip.
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A party spokesperson said: “Following Will Wragg’s decision to step back from his roles on the Public Accounts and 1922 committees, he has also notified the chief whip that he is voluntarily relinquishing the Conservative whip.”
It now means Mr Wragg sits in Parliament as an independent MP.
Mr Wragg sent intimate pictures of himself to someone on Grindr. This person is said to have then coerced him into handing over the personal phone numbers of colleagues to them.
Wragg's admission was called "courageous" by Jeremy Hunt and others, but he also faced calls to resign from his important Commons positions from others.
Earlier today, Wragg stepped down from the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACA) and his role as vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs.
Wragg admitted he shared the details after sending intimate pictures of himself to the user, adding he was “scared” that the man “had compromising things on me”.
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It is now understood two MPs have sent explicit images of themselves after being contacted by various senders under different aliases.
The colleagues — which included several MPs, members of their staff and a political journalist — were sent unsolicited flirtatious messages from senders calling themselves “Charlie” or “Abi”.
Leicestershire Police confirmed they are investigating a report of malicious communications.
The MP, who is gay, said he was “mortified” and apologised for his “weakness”.
“They had compromising things on me. They wouldn’t leave me alone. They would ask for people. I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. He’s manipulated me and now I’ve hurt other people.
“I got chatting to a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures. We were meant to meet up for drinks, but then didn’t. Then he started asking for numbers of people. I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesn’t work now.
“I’ve hurt people by being weak. I was scared. I’m mortified. I’m so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt,” he told The Times.
