Tory MP is shamed into breaking off affair with his 26-year-old blonde aide
A SHAMED Tory MP has ended an affair with a married assistant half his age, days after rumours began circulating about the pair.
Steve Double, 49, a former pastor who is also married, said he stopped the relationship on Friday – after becoming aware of an email that had been sent about his trysts with blonde Sarah Bunt, 26.
Evangelical Christian Mr Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay in Cornwall, issued a grovelling public statement, apologising for behaving ‘completely inappropriately’.
He also apologised for the pain he has caused his wife of 30 years, Anne. The couple have three children.
Mr Double, who won his seat last year after emphasising his strong family values and his Christian faith, admitted having an affair with Mrs Bunt, who has been married for 18 months and who describes herself as the MP’s ‘case worker’.
Mrs Double, 52, is employed by her husband as his senior case worker and diary secretary.
The MP is currently at a tourism conference in Tel Aviv, Israel.
He said he released the statement after journalists asked him for comments about the affair with Mrs Bunt. ‘We were getting [interview] requests from the local papers.
‘Deeply regret the pain I have caused’
I’ve no idea how the rumours started,’ he told the Mail yesterday
‘I presume someone contacted them but it wasn’t someone close to me. The affair ended on Friday. It started a few weeks ago.’
When asked what his wife thought of the affair, he described her as ‘incredible’, adding: ‘She loves me deeply and wants to make our marriage work.’
Confirming the affair with Mrs Bunt, Mr Double told the Cornish Guardian: ‘It was Sarah and it was recent. It wasn’t a one-off but it was only a few weeks.
‘I was truly wrong and I deeply regret what I have done and the pain it has caused to those close to me. I’m working hard to rebuild that trust and respect.’
Mrs Double put on a defiant front as she left the couple’s detached home in St Austell yesterday. Wearing a blue crossover top and white trousers, she put on a brave face as she smiled for photographers.
Mrs Bunt, her husband’s mistress, cut a rather more sheepish figure in dark glasses with her hair scraped back as she stopped by the marital home to collect a bag.
Her husband Matt, 33, earlier refused to comment on the affair but yesterday changed his Twitter profile to a picture of a dog pulling a sad face. Mr Double’s office released a statement on Monday in response to what it called ‘speculation about Steve and Anne Double and their marriage’.
The MP wrote: ‘I have behaved completely inappropriately and deeply regret the pain I have caused those closest to me.
‘Anne and I are committed to being together and seeking to move forward in our marriage. I accept I have work to do to recover the trust and respect of those around me.’
His wife has vowed to stand by him, saying on Monday: ‘I won’t throw away 30 years of marriage for the sake of a few hours.’
She added to his statement: ‘Although I have been deeply hurt I still love my husband. After almost 30 years I am committed to making our marriage a success for our future.’
Mrs Double said that Mrs Bunt, a former local newspaper reporter who lives in Newquay, was ‘on leave’ from her role.
Mr Double was elected to Parliament in May 2015 when he won the seat from Liberal Democrat Stephen Gilbert with a majority of more than 8,000.
While campaigning to become an MP, he wrote: ‘Like many people, family has a very special place in my life. I believe that strong families are the basis of a strong society. In my view many of the problems and challenges our country faces could be improved by supporting families and this is something I am committed to do.’
Mrs Bunt could not be reached for comment last night. Her salary is not published but case workers for MPs are paid up to £25,758.
Mrs Double’s salary will be published in November. She can receive up to £28,849. MPs decide what their staff are paid.
The revelation of Mr Double’s extramarital relationship comes just weeks after it was revealed Nationalist MPs Angus MacNeil and Stewart Hosie had conducted affairs with a Westminster journalist.