Green gives porn evidence to inquiry
Minister subject of inquiry hands in evidence that MP’S staff member found sexual images unwittingly
Damian Green has handed evidence to a Cabinet inquiry showing porn has been found on other parliamentary computers without being downloaded or watched by staff. The First Secretary of State gave the evidence to Sue Gray, who is investigating claims against him.
DAMIAN GREEN has handed evidence to a Cabinet inquiry showing porn has been found on other parliamentary computers without being downloaded or watched by staff.
The First Secretary of State, who is under pressure to resign amid claims he made unwanted sexual advances towards a young woman and watched porn at work, has given the evidence to Sue Gray, who is investigating claims against him.
It comes amid a growing Cabinet split over whether the de facto deputy prime minister should be forced to resign over the accusations, which he denies, as two ministers publicly aired very different views yesterday.
Theresa May is understood to have been told what the investigation into Mr Green is likely to find, but has yet to take action on the issue.
Yesterday Justine Greening, the Education Secretary, made plain her disapproval over claims that pornography had been accessed repeatedly by Mr Green at his work computer in the Houses of Parliament, while Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, told colleagues not to jump to conclusions.
Mr Green is understood to have handed over an email from Eleanor Laing, the Commons Deputy Speaker, to Ms Gray, explaining that porn had been found on a female staff member’s com- puter although that staff member had not downloaded it or watched it.
The email, sent to Mr Green, offers to set out in detail to Ms Gray what happened, in a bid to show that “material found in the parliamentary computer system can be proved to have been put there by some other means than by the deliberate actions of the person operating the computer”.
A member of staff is reported to have found porn on her computer each morning when she turned it on. She deleted it and tried to ignore the images, but it kept happening. Ms Gray has been given the information but has not yet called on the staff member to give evidence, it is understood.
It came as Nadine Dorries, another Conservative MP, was criticised for revealing she gives her computer password and username to members of staff so they can use her account.
Ms Greening told the BBC’S Andrew Marr yesterday: “There are clear laws. I think most employers would say [watching porn at work] wasn’t acceptable.” She declined to comment on the inquiry into Mr Green, but added: “I think it is important that we have high standards in public life.”
Reports also emerged that Gavin Barwell, Mrs May’s chief of staff, wants Mr Green to do the decent thing and fall on his sword. However, Mr Hunt told ITV: “I do have confidence in Damian Green and I have actually been in a situation Damian Green was in, where you are in the eye of a storm and everyone thinks you’ve done an absolutely terrible thing, and what I learnt from that is that you have to wait until an investigation is completed.
“And I was vindicated at the end of that process in my own case but I think we have to allow the Cabinet Office to complete their investigation. I know Damian Green as a colleague and I trust him absolutely and that’s why I believe what he says, but there is an investigation... and I think... we should wait.”
Other senior figures criticised the police yesterday, after two former officers spoke publicly about the porn reportedly found on Mr Green’s computer.
Lord Howard, the former Tory leader, said it was “very damaging” to public trust in the police for retired officers to leak information.