William Wragg: Ex-Tory MP feels ‘enormous guilt’ over Westminster honeytrap scandal
A former Conservative MP has said he felt “enormous guilt” when he found out he was the victim of a Westminster honeytrap scandal.
William Wragg resigned from the parliamentary party in April after he admitted giving out fellow politicians’ phone numbers to the suspected perpetrator of the sexting scam.
He said he felt threatened and pressured by the “catfish” after exchanging explicit photos with them.
Mr Wragg divulged the numbers to what he thought was a real person on a dating app, amid fears that the intimate images of himself would be leaked.
The former Tory party whip said he first saw news articles about the scandal when he was on a train.
The 36-year-old told the BBC: “My stomach just dropped.
“When I found out some of the things that had been going on, I just felt enormous guilt, enormous remorse.”
After the former Hazel Grove MP handed over the personal information, the catfish told Mr Wragg to vouch for their identity with their next potential victims, with the catfish telling their fresh targets they were a former researcher for Mr Wragg.
Mr Wragg agreed and this is what he feels “the most regret for” as it was “deceitful”.
Pic: PA
Panic attacks
After he was allegedly blackmailed, Mr Wragg started having panic attacks, with instances of yelling, crying, and swearing shocking his sleeping flatmates.
Police are investigating the scandal with at least 12 men with links to Westminster believed to have received unsolicited messages from the aliases “Charlie” and “Abi”.
The fake accounts were allegedly part of the scam to get MPs and other people in politics to send explicit images and other private or sensitive information.
Unlike others who were approached by the catfish accounts, Mr Wragg approached “Charlie” himself after spotting the profile on gay dating app Grindr.
And he thought the account was a real person before exchanging explicit photos with the catfish.
Suicidal thoughts
When the scandal broke, the humiliation and shame became too much for Mr Wragg.
He recounted photographers and the media camped outside his parents’ house, which is where he went to as he began to have suicidal thoughts.
Shortly after receiving medical attention, he returned to Westminster to resign as Conservative whip and from his posts on two parliamentary committees.
He had already announced he would not run in the next general election.
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Man detained
In June, a member of the Labour Party aged in his mid-20s was apprehended in Islington, north London, on suspicion of harassment and offences under the Online Safety Act.
He has since been released on bail.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.
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Politics
Zelenskyy says he is ‘truly thankful’ to US after Trump row – as he arrives in UK for summit
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the Ukrainian people “are truly thankful” for US support, hours after talks with Donald Trump descended into a row at the White House.
During a disastrous meeting with Mr Trump, the Ukrainian president was asked by vice president JD Vance, “have you said thank you once?”
In a lengthy social media post, Mr Zelenskyy said: “I always begin with words of gratitude from our nation to the American nation”.
The Ukrainian president insisted the US-Ukraine relationship “is more than just two leaders” but it was “crucial” for his country to have Mr Trump’s support.
He added: “American people helped save our people. Humans and human rights come first. We’re truly thankful. We want only strong relations with America, and I really hope we will have them.”
Ukraine latest: Zelenskyy says Ukraine should be ‘not forgotten’
Mr Zelenskyy will meet Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street on Saturday afternoon after his plane landed at Stansted Airport.
It comes ahead of a major summit hosted by the UK prime minister on Sunday, where more than a dozen European and EU leaders including Mr Zelenskyy will meet to discuss the Ukraine war and security.
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Zelenskyy’s plane lands in UK
The Ukrainian president had travelled to Washington DC to attempt to secure a ceasefire agreement after three years of war with Russia and a possible mineral deal with the US.
The meeting descended into a shouting match in front of cameras and journalists.
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Watch Trump and Zelenskyy clash
Mr Vance told Mr Zelenskyy: “I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.
“You should be thanking the President [Trump] for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”
Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Trump clash. Pics: Reuters
‘You’re gambling with World War Three’
The Ukrainian president tried to object but Mr Trump spoke over him and told him: “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.
“You’re gambling with World War Three, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”
Mr Zelenskyy defended himself and his country, openly challenging Mr Trump on his softer approach to Vladimir Putin and urging him to make “no compromises with a killer”.
More from Sky News:
How Starmer secured wins at the White House
Inside the Oval Office with Trump and Starmer
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Trump and Zelenskyy’s body language analysed
European leaders express support for Zelenskyy
After the row, Mr Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart to leave the White House, according to a US official, leaving the minerals deal in limbo.
European leaders expressed their support for Mr Zelenskyy ahead of the UK summit on Sunday.
France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, and Poland’s Donald Tusk all shared social media posts expressing their support.
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