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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Craig Meighan

Who is Neil Parish? Tory revealed as MP who 'watched porn in House of Commons'

Who is Neil Parish? Tory revealed as MP who watched porn in House of Commons

MP Neil Parish has been suspended by the Conservatives while under investigation for allegedly watching pornography in the Commons chamber.

The Tiverton and Honiton MP had the Tory whip withdrawn on Friday pending the result of the investigation after a conversation with Tory Chief Whip Chris Heaton-Harris.

An investigation by the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) was launched after the allegations surfaced during a meeting of Tory MPs on Tuesday.

Parish, the chair of the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, has represented the Devon constituency since 2019.

A spokeswoman for Heaton-Harris said: “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.”

Who is Neil Paris?

Neil Parish has been a member of Parliament for Tiverton and Honiton since 2010.

The 65-year-old has also served as a member of the European Parliament for South West England.

He is married, has two children as well as two grandchildren.

Parish previously voted against equal rights for LGBT people.

He voted against gay marriage in 2013, which ultimately passed in the House of Commons.

Parish has previously voted for mass surveillance of people's communications and activities, according to the voting record website They Work For You.

He has also consistently voted against more powers to the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments.

In 2015, he was elected as chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. 

He attended the boarding school Brymore Academy (then Brymore School) as a child before leaving at 16 to manage the family farm in Somerset.

He previously told GB News earlier this week, before he was unveiled as the MP who allegedly watched porn in front of a female MP, that there was no cultural problem in Westminster.

Asked by GB News last week whether the person who watched porn in front of his colleagues should have the whip removed, Parish dodged the question.

"You're going to get people that step over the line," he said.

The MP's website shows a focus on farming and rural issues.

It reads: "Throughout his time in politics, at all levels, Neil’s focus has always been standing up for residents and being a strong voice for the countryside."

What is the fallout?

Parish is now under investigation by the Commons Standards Committee.

His alleged actions have sparked calls for a reform of the culture in the UK Parliament, with more women MPs speaking up.

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan on Friday said she was once “pinned up against a wall” by a male MP as she told colleagues to “keep your hands in your pockets”.

It also comes just after the Mail on Sunday ran an article accused of sexism against Labour's deputy leader Angela Raynor.

It listed unnamed Tory MPs who accused the Labour politician of crossing and uncrossing her legs during Prime Minister's Questions to distract Boris Johnson.

Raynor hit back at the article, calling it misogynistic and classist.

Calling for a cultural shift, Rayner told ITV’S Lorraine: “There’s still so much more for us to do.

“We have got to teach our sons to be respectful of women and we’ve got to teach our women to be confident about themselves as well."

The MP won support across the political spectrum, with Boris Johnson labelling the comments "misogynistic tripe".

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