THE MP reported for watching pornography on his phone in the House of Commons was born and grew up in Bridgwater, it has emerged today (Friday, April 29).
Conservative Neil Parish, who represents the Tiverton and Honiton constituency, is reporting himself to the Standards Committee of the House of Commons.
Tory MPs had refused to name Mr Parish, who is believed to own a house in East Huntspill, as the guilty party after the scandal broke earlier this week.
He was reported by a woman MP, whose account of the incident was backed up by another MP.
But a spokesperson for the party's Chief Whip 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."
A source who knows Mr Parish: "This is totally unacceptable behaviour by an MP.
"Presumably he was watching porn on a phone funded by the taxpayer.
"He should resign as an MP. If he did the same thing for a company he worked for in any other walk of life he would be sacked.
"It's a disgrace.
"Credit to the MP who reported him."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I think it’s obviously unacceptable for anybody to be doing that kind of thing in the workplace.
“It would be the same for any kind of job up and down the country, let’s be absolutely clear about that.
“What needs to happen now is that the proper procedures need to be gone through, the independent complaints and grievances procedure needs to be activated and we need to get to understand the facts but, yeah, that kind of behaviour is clearly totally unacceptable.”
Mr Parish, 65, was born and bred in Bridgwater, and attended Brymore School, which he left aged 16 to manage the family farm.
He served for a period on Sedgemoor District Council, was a Member of the European Parliament for South West England from 1999 to 2009 and became an MP at the 2010 General Election.
He is married with two grown-up children and two grandchildren.
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