Connect with us

Published

on

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.”

More on Conservatives

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
Image:
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.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

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.

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

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.”

Continue Reading

Politics

Musk promises ban on Apple, Greenpeace calls for Bitcoin’s PoS, and other news: Hodler’s Digest, June 9-15

Published

on

By

Musk promises ban on Apple, Greenpeace calls for Bitcoin’s PoS, and other news: Hodler’s Digest, June 9-15

Elon Musk threatens to ban Apple devices if they integrate with ChatGPT, Greenpeace calls for a shift in Bitcoin’s consensus mechanism, and more.

Continue Reading

Politics

Fresh poll predicts Tories will win just 72 seats in next parliament

Published

on

By

Eight Israeli soldiers killed inside Gaza - as Palestinian death toll 'tops 37,000'

Two polls published today spell bad news for Rishi Sunak, with one showing a drop of four points and the other that his party is on course to pick up just 72 seats.

A poll by Savanta for The Daily Telegraph showed the Tories are down four points to just 21% of the vote – the lowest by that pollster since the dying days of Theresa May’s premiership in 2019.

In a boost for Nigel Farage, the poll showed Reform UK up three points with 13% of the vote.

Election latest: Starmer avoids saying where funding for NHS reform will come from

A separate Survation poll for Best for Britain, published by The Times, predicted that the Tories would win just 72 seats in the next parliament, compared with 456 for Labour.

It comes after a YouGov poll on Thursday night put Nigel Farage’s party on 19% of the vote, compared with 18% for the Conservatives.

The development prompted Mr Farage to declare Reform as the “opposition to Labour” going into the election.

Continue Reading

Politics

Spot Ethereum ETFs may begin trading by July 2 — Bloomberg Analyst

Published

on

By

Spot Ethereum ETFs may begin trading by July 2 — Bloomberg Analyst

Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas says his “best guess as of now” is that spot Ether ETFs will begin trading in the United States before July 2.

Continue Reading

Trending