Nadine Dorries has called for a House of Commons inquiry into William Wragg. Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images
Nadine Dorries has called for House of Commons standards to be upheld by the head of the William Wragg inquiry as the row over the alleged Westminster entrapment scandal continues.
Mr Wragg refused from Whip Tory on Tuesday after admitting he passed on co-workers' phone numbers to a man he met on Grindr, the gay dating app, by sending him intimate photos of himself.
About 20 Westminster figures, including several MPs, parliamentary aides and political journalists, later received flirty texts, and in some cases explicit images, from senders using the pseudonyms “Charlie” or “Abi”.
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In an article on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Dorries called on Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary standards commissioner, to launch a full investigation into Mr Wragg, who is now the independent MP for Hazel Grove.
Former minister culture said: “The Standards Commissioner will surely have to announce an investigation into Wragg very soon.”
“When he does, I have money, Wragg will step down from his seat and resign to avoid his actions.” be subject to scrutiny and appear before a standards committee.”
Senior Cabinet figures backed Mr Wragg ahead of his decision to “voluntarily stand down” from the Tory whip. They included Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who called his apology over the scandal “bold and raw.”
Richard Holden, chairman of the Conservative Party, said on Monday that he was right to decide to relinquish the whip. but Labor said Downing Street's refusal to remove him was “another indictment of Rishi Sunak's weakness.”
William Wragg has given up the Tory whip and now stands as an independent Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
Mr Wragg said he was “horrified” and “humiliated” when he revealed the contact details of his colleagues and that of the person who contacted him But on Wednesday some senior Tories suggested his behavior was evidence of double standards after he played a leading role in efforts to remove Boris Johnson from office following the party's Downing Street row. .
In February, Mr Wragg also led efforts to oust Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, after he led a vote on a Gaza ceasefire descended into chaos.
The former Cabinet minister wondered by asking what “William Wragg of a week ago” would say about “William Wragg of today.”
“My sympathy is small, given the way he behaved towards other people. ” They said. “I don't think any politician wants to position himself as Mr Pious because none of us are without our faults.”
A second Westminster source said: “I think that it was unfortunate that he had portrayed himself as a paragon of morality during a party, and then this happened.
“But he made a mistake, he suffers the consequences, and in terms of the outcome, I’m not sure what else -he wants.”
The Conservative MP, a friend of Mr Wragg, said now that he had given up the whip it was “time to move on”, adding: “This is a man who has apologized and he has really struggled with his mental health over the years.< /p>
“He sincerely apologizes. Don't kick someone while they're down.”
Mr Wragg spoke at length about his struggles with anxiety and depression.
He became one of the first MPs to confirm he would leave the House of Commons at the next election, announcing in August 2022 that he was ending his political career to focus on “driving out the black dog.”
Picture password
Meanwhile Mr Wragg, who became MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester in 2015, appears to have accidentally revealed his parliamentary Wi-Fi password last month by pinning it to the wall while he was doing a photo shoot at his desk with a national newspaper.
Photographs used in the interview with The Observer show Mr Wragg sitting at his desk with several sheets of paper hanging on the wall, one of which appears to list his internet number. password.
code – “Parliament2015!” – can be seen on the House of Commons paper to his right in the photographs.
It is unclear whether the photograph was taken in his parliamentary office, constituency office or elsewhere. This potentially raises further questions about Mr Wragg's decision-making when it comes to cybersecurity measures.
The Observer has been contacted for comment.
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