Defence secretary says MP alleged to have watched porn in Parliament should face by-election if guilty

A Tory MP who allegedly watched pornography in the Commons chamber should face a by-election if found guilty, Wyre and Preston North MP Ben Wallace has demanded.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

MPs have called for the case to be referred to Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) which investigates allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct.

The disciplinary process could lead to a recommendation that the MP is suspended or forced out of the Commons if a complaint is upheld.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rachel Maclean, who is the Home Office minister responsible for safeguarding women, called for the MP to be expelled from the Conservative Party, saying the alleged behaviour was “shocking and unacceptable”.

Defence Secretary Ben WallaceDefence Secretary Ben Wallace
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the MP should lose the whip and could face sanctions including the prospect of a by-election if they were found to have watched pornography on their phone in the chamber.

Chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris called for the independent investigation after the allegations about the unnamed MP surfaced during a meeting of Tory MPs at Westminster on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for Mr Heaton-Harris said: “Following allegations of inappropriate behaviour in the House of Commons the chief whip has asked that this matter be referred to the ICGS.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Upon the conclusion of any ICGS investigation the chief whip will take appropriate action.”

Under the ICGS an investigator would examine the case and Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone would then make a decision.

In a serious case like this a sanction would normally be decided by the Independent Expert Panel (IEP), which would also hear any appeal.

Only witnesses to the pornography-viewing could make a complaint about the MP under the ICGS.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Wallace said “there’s no place for pornography in any workplace” and highlighted the need for a cultural change at Westminster.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I certainly think they should lose the whip.”

Read More
Watch defence secretary Ben Wallace on war in Ukraine

He also said the person “could be subject to a recall petition”, adding: “There are a range of measures, if this is proven then measures and discipline should be administered.”

Mr Wallace told Sky News: “This is a problem, I think, about the overall culture of the House of Commons.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It is late sitting, long nights with bars, and that very often leads, and it has done for decades, to behavioural challenges.”

On Times Radio he said the mix of long hours, high pressure and alcohol could be “poisonous”, adding: “My advice to any MP is actually avoid the bars… finish a day’s work and go home.”

Ms Maclean, who was at the meeting on Tuesday where the allegations surfaced, said everyone present had been “shocked and horrified”.

“It’s just gruesome,” she told Sky News’s The Take With Sophy Ridge.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I’m the minister responsible for safeguarding women and for creating laws which protect women against sexual harassment and violence against women and girls, so it is deeply sickening and disgusting to hear that a male MP is watching porn.

“Action needs to be taken and I very much hope… we will see him out of Parliament, out of the party. I hope that’s where we get to.”

Tuesday’s meeting was reportedly attended by between 40 and 50 Tory MPs, including Mr Heaton-Harris, party chairman Oliver Dowden and Commons Leader Mark Spencer.