Tory MP Luke Evans says he was victim of ‘cyber flashing and malicious communications’
A Conservative MP has said he was targeted in the parliamentary honeytrap sexting scam and was the politician that first alerted police and Commons authorities.
Dr Luke Evans, the MP for Bosworth, in Leicestershire, said he was approached in March by two different numbers on WhatsApp “who purported to know me”.
In a video message on Facebook, he said was the victim of cyber flashing and malicious communications “and blew the whistle by reporting it to the police and the parliamentary authorities as soon as this happened”.
Mr Evans said: “The first set of messages I got was on a day I was with my wife and I got a one-time open photo on WhatsApp of an explicit image of a naked lady. As soon as I got these the next day I reported it to the police, the authorities and the chief whip.
“Ten days later I got another set of messages, this time however, I was sat with my team in the constituency office, so we were able to record the conversation and catch photos and videos of the messages coming through including another explicit female image.”
Mr Evans said he “wanted it to be private” due to the ongoing police investigation, but decided to come forward due to the media attention surrounding the sexting scam.
He added: “I’m just pleased I blew the whistle, reported it to the authorities and it’s now being looked into.”
Leicestershire Police confirmed on Thursday it was investigating a report of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month.
Shortly after Mr Evans’s statement, the Metropolitan Police confirmed it was also investigating unsolicited explicit images and messages sent to MPs.
A statement from the force said: “Officers from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command are carrying out an investigation following reports that a number of unsolicited messages were sent to MPs over recent months.
“We are working closely with other forces and are in contact with colleagues in Parliamentary Security, who are providing support and advice around anyone affected.”
It follows reports 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.
Last night, Tory MP William Wragg admitted to The Times that he shared the personal phone numbers of some of his colleagues to a man he met on gay dating app Grindr.
William Wragg. Pic: PA
Mr Wragg apologised for the “hurt” he caused and said he was “manipulated” by the person after he sent intimate pictures of himself.
“They had compromising things on me. They wouldn’t leave me alone. They would ask for people,” he told the newspaper.
“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.”
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William Wragg ‘has come forward in a very dignified way’
Sky News understands Mr Wragg will not lose the party whip over the matter, meaning he can remain in the Conservative parliamentary party.
Many MPs have been sympathetic to Mr Wragg’s situation, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt praising his “courageous and fulsome” apology.
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The scam has been described as “spear phishing”, a type of cyber attack that targets specific groups in order to steal personal or sensitive information.
Security experts have speculated that a hostile state could be behind the scam.
Richard Dearlove, a former chief of MI6, told Sky News: “Any MP is massively of interest to a hostile foreign intelligence service.
“Not necessarily for the collection of secrets, but for providing insights into the behavioural vulnerabilities of colleagues.”
The Labour Party raised almost £4.4m in the second full week of the general election campaign – close to 15 times the amount brought in by the Tories.
Rishi Sunak’s party took in just under £300,000 between 6 and 12 June.
Reform UK raised more than double this figure, with £742,000 taken. However, £500,000 of this money was handed over by Britain Means Business, a company run by Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice.
The Liberal Democrats also took in more than the Conservatives, raising £335,000.
The Green Party raised £20,000.
Labour raised £4,383,400 – and its partner the Co-operative Party raised £60,000.
Follow live: More bad news for Tory campaign
The Conservatives raised £292,500, according to Electoral Commission figures.
The Tory figure is also roughly half of what they raised in the first full week of the campaign.
Labour has raised almost 15 times what the Tories did. Pic: Reuters
Between 30 May and 5 June, the Conservatives took in £574,918, compared to Labour’s £926,908.
However, looking at the 2019 election, the Conservative Party raised 10 times this figure in the first week of the campaign – raising £5.7m between 6 and 12 November 2019.
Labour took in £218,500 at this time.
Who gave the parties the most money?
Digging into the breakdown from the Electoral Commission, we can see a bit more about who gave the different parties the most money.
As mentioned, Reform’s biggest donor is a company run by their deputy leader.
A man called David Lilley also gave the party £100,000, and another notable contributor was Holly Vukadinovic – the maiden name of model Holly Valance – who gave £50,000.
Read more:
What are the rules around political donations?
Analysis: Sunak misjudged audience on key issue
For Labour, the biggest donor was Lord Sainsbury, who gave £2.5m, followed by Autoglass boss Gary Lubner, who handed over £900,000.
Their largest union donation came from train driver body Aslef, which donated £100,000.
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For the Lib Dems, they received £150,000 from Adam Management Holdings, and another £100,000 from the late John Faulkner, a former party member who has left money to the party.
The Conservatives registered a £50,000 donation from “The Spring Lunch” – which is the name of one of their fundraising events – as well as £50,000 from Bestway Wholesale, a company which has a Tory peer named as a director.
The election might seem like a two-horse race, but other parties are jockeying for votes too.
We put their manifestos to the Sky News YouGov Voters Panel.
Representing different political backgrounds and more than 40 different constituencies, they pored over the promises and policies.
Reform UK
Reform UK doesn’t have a traditional manifesto, but its “contract” with voters certainly reads like one.
And it split our panel.
One voter described it as “xenophobia, racism and closed-mindedness”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage
But another said: “They make it clear they stand for British citizens… a lot of people feel here in the UK that they are undermined and undervalued.”
Reform are mostly targeting Tory votes, and an interesting picture emerges when you look at the people who voted Conservative last time.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
From our panel, a fifth of former Tory voters felt Reform resonated.
“I pretty much agree with everything that I’ve seen on the Reform Party’s manifesto. I like their views on immigration, the income tax threshold, the cutting of EU laws, the cutting of foreign aid,” one voter said.
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SNP
In Scotland, the SNP want to talk about independence, but the Scottish voters on our panel found other things to focus on in the party’s manifesto.
SNP leader John Swinney speaking during the party’s manifesto launch. Pic: PA
One voter told us: “I definitely agree with the £15 minimum wage, [and] more assistance for the care sector.
“It’s a shame we don’t have enough seats up here to run Westminster because I think a lot of people in the UK would follow a lot of the policies the SNP put forward.”
But another was not convinced, saying: “Nothing about the SNP is relevant, realistic or anything really – it’s just made-up garbage.”
Plaid Cymru
In Wales, Plaid Cymru want to win the Welsh vote.
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth
One voter said: “Whilst I appreciate that Plaid Cymru are looking at the interests of people in Wales in particular, I disagree with the statement around taking full control of the economy.
“I am rather concerned that they are not happy about the defence spending.”
Green Party
The Greens say they are fighting for a fairer world, but do their pledges persuade our panel?
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer. Pic: AP
Read more from Sky News:
Which party would win if election were tomorrow?
Check which party could win in your constituency
A very simple guide to what each party is promising
“The environment policies really stand out to me,” one panel member said.
“Although I plan to vote for the Green Party, I have to admit that I don’t like their manifesto, particularly their policies surrounding defence.
“I’d love to see them get somewhere, but the way voting works, it’s a bit of a wasted vote.”
Politics
‘Tawdry’ Conservative Party’s campaign is marred by election betting scandal, Ruth Davidson says
The Conservative Party is seen as “tawdry”, Ruth Davidson has said, as two of its candidates are being investigated over alleged bets placed on the election date.
The Gambling Commission is looking into two Tory candidates over alleged wagers on the date of the 4 July election.
An industry source has told Sky News that “more names” are being looked into, but police are so far “not involved”.
Speaking on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast with Sky News political editor Beth Rigby, and former broadcaster and presenter Carol Vorderman, the former leader of the Scottish Tories waded into the fallout of the alleged betting scandal.
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“What an absolute shit show. Firstly, I mean, how tawdry is it?” she said.
She described it as akin to “insider trading” and criticised Rishi Sunak’s response, saying he had repeatedly failed to get out in front and take control of events.
Speaking on the podcast, Ms Vorderman added: “The Tory party as they stand is just sleazy, it’s grubby.
“And it has gone on and on and on.
“From outside the Westminster bubble, whatever Sunak says, people now openly laugh at Tory politicians whenever they’re out of your studio Beth.
“Whenever they’re in front of an audience they don’t command any respect whatsoever.”
The trio also discussed tactical voting and why candidates target some seats more than others.
Tory candidates Craig Williams and Laura Saunders are both under investigation. Ms Saunders is married to the party’s director of campaigns Tony Lee.
Laura Saunders is the party’s candidate in Bristol North West.
Pic: Laura Saunders for Bristol North West
Read more:
Sunak ‘incredibly angry’ over betting allegations
Former Tory minister says he’ll vote Labour
Green co-leader rejects Liz Truss comparison
It also emerged this week that one of Mr Sunak’s close protection police officers has been arrested over alleged bets on the timing of the election as well.
During a leader’s event on BBC Question Time, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “incredibly angry” to learn of the allegations and said if anyone had broken the rules “they should face the full force of the law”.
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However, he refused to suspend the candidates while the investigations were ongoing.
It comes as the election campaigns approach the last two weeks before the country heads to the polls.
Email the team electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.
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