Inside Politics: ‘Sackable offence’
Tory whips promise ‘action’ after claims MP watched porn in the Commons chamber, writes Matt Mathers
A male Tory MP recently watched porn on his mobile phone in front of female colleagues in parliament. While in the Commons chamber, where proceedings are often broadcast live. Yes, you read that correctly. That is the explosive – and let’s face it, disturbing – claim made by female Conservatives yesterday in the latest sleaze scandal to hit Westminster. An investigation is now underway and parliament’s reputation further sullied as MPs prepare to head back to their constituencies ahead of the Queen’s Speech.
Inside the bubble
Proceedings in the Commons get underway with Defra questions at 9.30am, followed by any urgent questions or statements. After that parliament will be prorogued until the Queen’s Speech on 10 May.
Coming up:
– Shadow work and pensions secretary Jon Ashworth on Sky News at 8.05am
– Defence secretary Ben Wallace on BBC Radio 4 Today at 8.10am
Daily Briefing
- SCOOP: Sajid Javid is facing fresh questions about his tax history this morning as The Independent exclusively reveals he used an offshore trust while working as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to then chancellor George Osborne in 2011. The ministerial code states that while PPS’s, who act as ministerial aides, are not technically members of the government “they must ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their role as a parliamentary private secretary, and their private interests”. Readers might remember that Javid “came clean” to The Sunday Times about his non-dom status not long after The Independent revealed that Rishi Sunak’s wife had been using the tax reducing scheme. But a spokesperson for the health secretary has declined to answer questions about the details of assets within the trust – which was not declared at the time – while insisting the Bromsgrove MP has been “very open and honest” about his previous financial dealings.
- PORN CLAIMS: Tories are investigating the porn watching claim, with the whips’ office warning there will be consequences for the perpetrator. Westminster now waits for the name of the MP to come out as calls for him to lose his job grow. The MP will do well to avoid that outcome if the allegations are true, particularly given the current climate in parliament, whose “misogynist” culture is once again under the spotlight as MPs head back to their constituencies later today following the proroguing of parliament. Labour says the behaviour is a “sackable offence”. Chris Heaton-Harris, the chief whip, has referred the matter to Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme. For Boris Johnson, the disclosure is yet another headache ahead of next week’s local elections. MPs watching adult content in parliament while they are supposed to be serving the people who pay their wages is not a good look for the governing party.
- NOT ANOTHER ONE?: It seems that hardly a week passes now where the government doesn’t perform a screeching U-turn. And it sounds as though it may not be long until we are once again smelling the burning rubber, after Rishi Sunak dropped a big hint yesterday that he could in fact introduce a windfall tax on the gargantuan profits of oil and gas companies to help Britons with the cost of living crisis. The chancellor has repeatedly ruled out the Labour policy, claiming that it would deter investment in the North Sea firms as they seek to make the transition to renewable energy. But he has now said the policy is “something I’d look at” if that investment isn’t forthcoming. We’ll have all today’s politics action on our liveblog.
- MAD VLAD LATEST: The Kremlin has in recent days ramped up its rhetoric on the potential use of chemical weapons, as Ukraine’s allies continue making pledges to provide Kyiv with more weapons and military aid. President Putin himself added to that increasingly aggressive tone yesterday, telling lawmakers in Moscow that there would be a “lightning fast” retaliation for any western countries thinking about interfering on the ground. He went on to add that Russian troops would not hesitate to use the most modern weaponry if pushed, claiming that the Kremlin has weapons no other country “can brag about”. In its latest update on the conflict, Britain’s Ministry of Defence says Russia continues to build up its navy presence in the Black Sea operation zone. We’ll have live war updates on our liveblog.
- ‘DESPICABLE’: The United Nations high commissioner for refugees has warned that Priti Patel’s controversial Immigration and Nationalities Bill, which completed its passage through parliament on Wednesday, could “dramatically weaken” international systems for protecting those fleeing war and persecution. The legislation was completed with just a day to spare after the House of Lords gave up a rearguard action to try to soften its most punitive measures. Aid charity Oxfam described the bill as a “devastating blow for families fleeing conflict and persecution”, while Medecins Sans Frontieres branded it “despicable”.
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
On the record
“This behaviour is wholly unacceptable and action will be taken.”
Tory whips’ office on reports male MP watched porn in the Commons chamber next to female colleague.
From the Twitterati
“I’m told categorically that the Tory MP who allegedly watched pornography is *not* a frontbencher.”
Times politics editor Steven Swinford.
Essential reading
- John Rentoul, The Independent: Boris Johnson’s magic trick of cutting taxes and spending more should fool no one
- Victoria Richard, The Independent: ‘Angela Rayner laughed along’ is no defence – women do this all the time, and not because it’s funny
- Andrew Marr, The New Statesman: Putin’s war could be the undoing of Nicola Sturgeon
- Timothy McLaughlin,The Atlantic: Where foreign correspondents capitulated to autocracy
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