MP Quits Tories Over Honey Trap Sexting Scandal

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed concern over individuals attempting to disrupt democratic processes, citing ‘lots of bad actors’ in his statement.

MP William Wragg recently resigned from the Conservative Party after admitting to being ‘manipulated’ into sharing phone numbers of politicians with someone he met on a gay dating app. The party’s whips office confirmed that Mr. Wragg voluntarily gave up the Conservative whip.

Mr. Wragg had already stepped down from his positions as vice-chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee and chairman of the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. He had previously announced his decision to leave Parliament at the next election and will now serve as an independent.

‘Sack Himself’

During an LBC phone-in, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was questioned about his leadership in allowing Mr. Wragg to ‘sack himself.’ The prime minister mentioned ongoing police investigations into the matter and emphasized the importance of being cautious about unsolicited messages, especially for individuals in public roles.

He further stated, “There’s lots of bad actors, as we’re seeing around the world, who are trying to cause damage to our democratic processes.”

Conservative Party Chairman Richard Holden supported Mr. Wragg’s decision to resign the whip. Mr. Sunak explained that it was necessary to let the police investigations proceed before taking any further action.

‘They Wouldn’t Leave Me Alone’

Mr. Wragg recounted his experience of being targeted in a sexting scam, where he shared personal information out of fear of blackmail. He expressed regret for his actions and the pressure he faced following the incident.

Scotland Yard is currently investigating reports of the ‘honey trap’ scam involving several individuals in political circles. The scammer used aliases to coax MPs into sharing explicit content, leading to security concerns.

Labour’s national campaign coordinator criticized the handling of the situation, calling it a display of weakness. He pointed out the lack of effective party management and leadership in dealing with such incidents.

Contributions to this report were made by PA Media and Chris Summers.

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