A senior Conservative MP expressed regret and apologized after admitting his involvement in a scandal involving sending sexually suggestive messages.
William Wragg, who chairs a Commons select committee, stated The Times he had provided the personal phone contact details of MPs, Commons staff, and a political journalist to a man he met on Grindr, a gay dating app.
He acknowledged giving out the contact details after sending intimate photos to the Grindr user because he was ‘afraid’ the man ‘had compromising things on me’.
The Grindr user then proceeded to send multiple unwelcome flirtatious messages to victims, identifying themselves as ‘Charlie’ or ‘Abi’.
It’s known that two of those MPs responded by sending an explicit picture of themselves.
Leicestershire Police are now looking into the matter.
A spokesperson for the police stated that officers were ‘investigating a report of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month’.
‘They were reported to police on Tuesday, March 19. Inquiries are currently ongoing.’
The Times reached out to Mr Wragg after talking to victims who believed he was involved. The 36-year-old MP for the Greater Manchester seat of Hazel Grove, who is openly gay, is also vice-chairman of the 1922 committee.
He told The Times: ‘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.’
The victims of the spearfishing scheme received late-night messages from an unknown number, saying they had met years ago in a parliamentary bar.
Soon into the conversation, men were sent an explicit picture and asked to reciprocate – and while many blocked ‘Charlie’ or didn’t reply, it’s understood that two MPs did respond.
‘Charlie’ said he used to work in parliament under Mr Wragg and bragged about sleeping with several Conservative and Labour MPs. Mr Wragg denied that ‘Charlie’ had ever worked for him.
Mr Wragg has already said he will stand down at the next general election, but if complaints about his conduct are made to the Tory whips, he could end up spending his last weeks or months as an MP sitting as an independent.
A parliamentary spokesperson said: ‘Parliament takes security extremely seriously and works closely with government in response to such incidents.
‘We provide members and staff with tailored advice, making them aware of security risks and how to manage their digital safety.
‘We are encouraging anyone affected who has concerns to contact the Parliamentary Security Department.’
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