Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Sex scandal ex-mp ‘comfortable with being gay’
FORMER Liberal Democrat MP Mark Oaten has finally admitted to himself that he is gay – 13 years after a sex scandal destroyed his political career.
Mr Oaten dramatically quit frontline politics in 2006 after it was revealed he had been having encounters with a group of male escorts.
The then-married father and potential candidate for the Liberal Democrat leadership said at the time the affair was an “error of judgment”.
Mr Oaten said: “I’m gay now and I’m comfortable with being gay and I’m clear about my sexuality.”
The former politician, who now lives with his male partner, told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Emma Barnett that the working environment at Westminster, which he claims drove him to seek out sex workers, was “a horrid culture that’s still the same”.
He added: “You are in this kind of bubble where you are able to get away with anything.
“I would describe it as a seedy, bullying men’s club.”