Earlier this week, everyone was shocked to hear accusations that an MP had been caught watching pornography in the Commons. Now, an MP is under investigation and has been suspended from the Conservative party. The Telegraphbroke the story that Neil Parish, the Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton, has had the whip removed after being accused of watching explicit videos at work. He is yet to make a statement.
The publication reports that Parish has spoken to the Chief Whip, and will now report himself to the Standards Committee of the House of Commons. Parish, 65, is chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and has been MP for Tiverton and Honiton, in Dorset, since 2010.
A Chief Whip spokesperson has told the Telegraph: 'Having spoken to the Chief Whip this afternoon, Neil Parish MP is reporting himself to the Standards Committee of the House of Commons. Mr Parish has been suspended from the Conservative Whip pending the outcome of that investigation.'
This week, cabinet minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan opened up about the scale of sexual harassment at Westminster, stating that ‘all of us as women in parliament have been subjected to inappropriate language, to wandering hands … it doesn’t change.’ One source told The Guardian that female MPs are ‘on the brink of mutiny’ after it was reported 56 MPs had sexual harassment complaints made against them as well as three cabinet ministers.
Speaking to LBC, Trevelyan recalled being touched inappropriately around half a dozen times during her time in parliament. The international trade secretary has been an MP for the Conservative party since 2015. ‘[I’ve been] pinned up against a wall by a male MP – who is no longer in the House I’m pleased to say – declaring I must want him because he was a powerful man,’ Trevelyan said, noting that she has had to call male MPs out for groping women a number of times. 'I've witnessed and been at the sharp end of misogyny from some colleagues many times over'.