Wragg must face inquiry, says Dorries

MP who gave up the Tory whip over Westminster sexting scandal must face Commons standards body

NADINE DORRIES has urged the Commons standards chief to investigate William Wragg as the row over the suspected Westminster honeytrap scandal continues.

Mr Wragg gave up the Tory whip on Tuesday after admitting to handing over colleagues’ phone numbers to a man he met on a gay dating app.

Around 20 Westminster figures including several MPS, parliamentary assistants and political journalists were later sent flirtatious texts, and in some cases explicit images.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Dorries urged Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary standards commissioner, to launch a full investigation into Mr Wragg, who is now sitting as the independent MP for Hazel Grove.

The former culture secretary said: “The standards commissioner will surely have to announce an investigation into Wragg very soon.

“My money is on when he does, Wragg will resign his seat and stand down to avoid his actions being scrutinised and having to face the standards committee.”

Senior Cabinet figures had backed Mr Wragg before his decision to “voluntarily relinquish” the Conservative whip. These included Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, who hailed his apology as “courageous and fulsome”.

Labour claimed Downing Street’s refusal to suspend him was “another indictment of Rishi Sunak’s weakness”.

Tories suggested Mr Wragg’s behaviour was evidence of double standards after he played a leading role in backbench efforts to remove Boris Johnson from office following the Downing Street parties scandal.

In February, he also led efforts to oust Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, after a vote on a ceasefire in Gaza descended into chaos.

A former Cabinet minister questioned what “the William Wragg of a week ago” would make of “the William Wragg of today”.

“My sympathy is not enormous, because of the way he has behaved towards other people,” they said. “I don’t think any politician wants to set himself up as being Mr Pious, because none of us are without our faults.”

Meanwhile, Mr Wragg appeared to let slip a Wifi password in a newspaper photoshoot, by leaving it pinned up on the wall behind him.

Mr Wragg appeared to accidentally reveal his Parliament Wifi password last month, by having it pinned up on the wall while he did a photoshoot at his desk with The Observer, raising further questions about his judgment.

The Observer has been contacted for comment.