Tory MP caught watching porn in the House of Commons formally resigns

A TORY MP who was watching porn in the Commons has formally quit as a parliamentarian.

Neil Parish, who initially claimed he was trying to search for “dominator combine harvester” tractors when he stumbled across pornography on his mobile phone while sitting in the Commons, has handed his resignation to the Treasury.

The department confirmed yesterday that it has been accepted, which will now trigger a by-election in his seat of Tiverton and Honiton, in Devon.

It comes the day after Imran Khan quit as an MP formally, having been convicted of child sex offences.

Mr Parish has been appointed the steward of the Manor of Northstead – a legal title which allows him to resign as an MP, and has no other purpose.

A statement from the Treasury said: “The Chancellor of the Exchequer has this day appointed Neil Quentin Gordon Parish to be Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.”

Mr Parish, 65, was left red-faced after a female MP claimed last week that she had seen him watching the lewd video in the Commons chamber during a debate.

Rumours swirled in Westminster about who was responsible, and an investigation was set to be launched by the Conservative party.

After days of speculation, Mr Parish was revealed to be the culprit.

A former farmer, Mr Parish initially said he had been searching for images of tractors when he accidentally found porn while in the Commons chamber.

However he later admitted that he had viewed the X-rated material a second time, describing it as a “moment of madness”.

Initially he said he would hang on in his seat until an investigation had been carried out, however then acknowledged he had watched pornography more than once and made the decision to resign.

His wife of 40 years said the saga was “all very embarrassing” but insisted she was standing by her husband, adding that there would not be “many wives left” if every woman broke up with her husband for watching porn.