allegations he watched pornography in the house of commons chamber. neil parish, the mp for a constituancy in devon in the south west of england, has referred himself to the parliamentary standards commissioner, and says he ll cooperate fully with any investigation. the 65 year old said he s embarrassed by the allegations, and suggested he may have opened the video on his phone by accident. here s our political correspondent ben wright. having told his wife, he faced the cameras waiting on his driveway. not a well known name before today, the conservative neil parish has been identified as the mp accused of watching pornography in the house of commons chamber. reporter: you have had - the conservative whip removed. where does that leave you? it leaves me still as the member of parliament for tiverton and honiton. i havejust come back from a surgery in honiton. i will maintain my duties very much as the mp and while i remain chair of the environment, food and rural affairs select commit
not a well known name before today, the conservative neil parish has been identified as the mp accused of watching pornography in the house of commons chamber. you have had the conservative whip removed. where does that leave you? it leaves me still as the member of parliament for tiverton and honiton. i have just come back from a surgery in honiton. i will maintain my duties very much as the mp and while i remain chair of the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, i will also keep up my work there. is this embarrassing? of course it s embarrassing, and it s embarrassing for my wife, and the family, and so that is my main concern at the moment. i have a very supportive wife and i thank her for that. at a meeting of tory mps on tuesday, two women said they had seen a male colleague viewing porn on his phone. first, the conservative party said the matter should be investigated by parliament s independent complaints and grievance scheme. the mp involved had still not been n
they had seen a male colleague viewing porn on his phone. first, the conservative party said the matter should be investigated by parliament s independent complaints and grievance scheme. the mp involved had still not been named when neil parish himself was asked about the allegations in an interview on wednesday. i think the whip s office will do a thorough investigation and we will wait and see that result. and now we have it. after meeting the tories chief whip today, mr parish was suspended from the parliamentary party and referred himself for investigation by the commons standards commissioner. labour said it should have happened much sooner. the conservatives have obviously known for days who this mp was. now, having known, they should have done something about it, they should have acted swifter. we can boost production. neil parish has represented the devon seat of tiverton and honiton since 2010 and is chair of the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, a senior
and see that result. and now we have it. after meeting the tories chief whip today, mr parish was suspended from the parliamentary party and referred himself for investigation by the commons standards commissioner. labour said it should have happened much sooner. the conservatives have obviously known for days who this mp was. now, having known, they should have done something about it, they should have acted swifter. we can boost production. neil parish has represented the devon seat of tiverton and honiton since 2010 and is chair of the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, a seniorjob for a backbench mp. but now he is under pressure to explain what he was doing with his phone. neil, was it a mistake? i will await the findings of the inquiry. i m talking about, did you open something up by error in the commons? i did, but let the, um, let the inquiry look at that.
have done something about it, they should have acted swifter. we can boost production. neil parish has represented the devon seat of tiverton and honiton since 2010 and is chair of the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, a seniorjob for a backbench mp. but now he is under pressure to explain what he was doing with his phone. neil, was it a mistake? i will await the findings of the inquiry. i m talking about, did you open something up by error- in the commons? i did, but let the inquiry look at that. there has been a chorus of cross party condemnation about this, and it has renewed claims that westminster has a problem with misogyny and sexism, a parliamentary culture that needs to change. i m shocked, as most people are shocked, that that would happen. and, you know, we have got inquiries going on, but i m really pleased that the chief whip has acted quickly. these things should not be left to fester. but the investigations may not