Tory Minister is forced to quit in ‘S&M’ text storm
THERESA MAY was rocked by another resignation last night after one of her Ministers was embroiled in a ‘sexting’ scandal involving 2,000 depraved messages.
Married Business Minister Andrew Griffiths was forced to quit after Downing Street became aware of highly explicit texts – allegedly about violent sado-masochism – sent to two barmaids.
The former adviser to the Prime Minister was accused of sending Imogen Treharne, 28, and her friend £700, asking for nude pictures and videos in return, and offering to rent a flat to meet for sex.
Mr Griffiths is said to have sent the women scores of messages virtually every day for three weeks after striking up a friendship on social media.
According to the Sunday Mirror, the Business Minister called himself ‘Daddy’, promised money if he received racy images and described perverted and rough sex he claimed to have experienced with other women. That reportedly included saying: ‘I’m going to need something filthy to put a smile on my face. I want to see you both naked.
‘Take off the bra and panties… you’ve got Daddy in such a frenzy.
‘I’m going to bring you to London and do whatever I want to you.’
The Minister was also accused of thinking about the two women as he drank champagne with Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.
Burton MP Mr Griffiths, 47, resigned following a meeting with Chief Whip Julian Smith who determined that the messages amounted to a breach of the Ministerial Code. A senior source said the Prime Minister had agreed that Mr Griffiths had ‘fallen short of the expected standards of ministerial behaviour’ by sending the messages.
Last night, Mr Griffiths, who became a father earlier this year, spoke of his shame at his conduct and said he was resigning as a Minister. He said: ‘I am deeply ashamed at my behaviour which has caused untold distress to my wife and family, to whom I owe everything, and deep embarrassment to the Prime Minister and the Government I am so proud to serve.
‘I tendered my resignation as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Small Business on Friday night. Following discussions with the Chief Whip I have referred myself to the Conservative Party’s Code of Conduct procedures.
‘I entirely accept that pending this investigation it is right the Whip is withdrawn. I wish to apologise to my constituency association and to the people of Burton I am honoured to represent. I do not seek to excuse my behaviour and will be seeking professional help to ensure it never happens again. In time I hope to earn the forgiveness of all those who put their trust in me and that I have let down so terribly.
‘The Prime Minister and the Government she leads will continue to have my full support.’
The Minister’s contact with Ms Treharne and her friend reportedly began on June 16, one hour after she posted a ‘racy’ video on Snapchat. But Ms Treharne was said to be appalled that what started as harmless flirting turned into a barrage of perverted demands.
She told the Sunday Mirror: ‘I wanted him to be a nice guy but by the end I felt dirty.
‘I felt like I was being used for this wealthy man’s gratification.’
Mr Griffiths’ resignation is the third high-profile one to hit Mrs May in less than seven days, following the departure last week of Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson over the Prime Minister’s Chequers Brexit deal. And it comes just months after the Commons was shaken by the ‘Pestminster’ scandal which led to the resignations of Defence Secretary Michael Fallon – over historic accusations of ‘lunging’ at a journalist – and First Secretary of State Damian Green for making ‘inaccurate and misleading’ statements about pornography found on his Commons computer.
Mr Griffiths – a former chief of staff to Mrs May – attracted sympathy earlier this year when he revealed the ‘horrific abuse’ he and his wife had received from Leftwing trolls who targeted them after he clashed with Jeremy Corbyn in the Commons.
When wife Kate, who is in her late-40s, was pregnant with her first child, the couple were subjected to an appalling hate campaign, with one Corbynista troll telling Mrs Griffiths: ‘Hope your baby dies.’
Mrs Griffiths, who Mr Griffiths married four years ago, gave birth to a daughter in April.
After working as chief of staff to Mrs May when the Tories were in Opposition, Mr Griffiths entered the Commons in 2010.
‘I will be seeking professional help’