The chancellor has praised Tory MP William Wragg for offering a “courageous and fulsome” apology after admitting to The Times that he had shared MPs’ personal phone numbers with someone he met on a dating app.
Jeremy Hunt said the news had been a “great cause for concern”.
Speaking to reporters in Guildford, he said: “The MP involved has given a courageous and fulsome apology, but the lesson here for all MPs is that they need to be very careful about cyber security – and indeed is the lesson for members of the public as well because this is something we are all having to face in our daily lives.”
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It comes after Mr Wragg, the Conservative MP for Hazel Grove and a select committee chair, made the admission to The Times on Thursday evening.
He told the newspaper: “They had compromising things on me. They wouldn’t leave me alone.
“They would ask for people. I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. He’s manipulated me and now I’ve hurt other people.
“I got chatting to a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures. We were meant to meet up for drinks, but then didn’t.
“Then he started asking for numbers of people. I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesn’t work now. I’ve hurt people by being weak.
“I was scared. I’m mortified. I’m so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt.”
It has been reported this week that a serving minister, some MPs, party staffers and political journalists were among those who received unsolicited messages from two unknown WhatsApp users.
A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said they were investigating a report of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month.
Mr Wragg, 36, who has previously announced he will stand down at the next election, also received support from fellow Conservative MP Mark Garnier, who said he had shown “maturity and common sense”.
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Mr Garnier told Sky News: “I think everybody would accept, including William, that he’s made a mistake, but I think William has come forward in a very dignified way to make a statement about this to The Times.
“It’s far better that somebody recognises their mistakes rather than tries to hide behind it.”
He said Mr Wragg, who is also the vice chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs, had shown “maturity and common sense” by “coming forward in order to try and help as best he probably can”.
He added: “I think William has been a bit of a clod, but the way he’s responded to this shows great dignity on his part, and I think we should support him.”
Asked whether such “honeytraps” were a common experience for MPs, Mr Garnier said they were.
“We’re all warned… to be very careful of people being unusually friendly and the rest of it,” he said.
“It happens – but equally so we’ve got plenty of MPs who are single people who are perfectly entitled to relationships and you can find yourself being drawn into a relationship that turns out to be toxic.
“We’re all humans.”
But shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was “very concerned” that MPs’ telephone numbers had been passed on to “unknown sources”.
“In positions of responsibility, we always have to think about our actions,” the Labour MP said. “There are also malevolent players out there who are trying to influence politics in these benign ways.”
Asked whether Mr Wragg should resign, Ms Reeves replied: “That’s the question for the Conservatives. The police investigation is now under way, and it is right that we allow that investigation to take its course.”
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Sky News understands that Mr Wragg will not lose the party whip over the matter, meaning he can remain in the Conservative parliamentary party.
Simon Hart, the chief whip, is also expected to speak to all parties in the coming days.
A parliamentary spokesperson said: “Parliament takes security extremely seriously and works closely with government in response to such incidents.
“We provide members and staff with tailored advice, making them aware of security risks and how to manage their digital safety. We are encouraging anyone affected who has concerns to contact the Parliamentary Security Department.”
