Labor MP suspended after arrest over Westminster honeytrap scandal

A Labour MP has been suspended following the arrest of a man in connection with the Westminster honey trap scandal.

The Labour Party was informed of the arrest of a party member in Islington on Wednesday and the individual was immediately placed under administrative suspension, AND he confirmed.

The party will not be making any further comment due to the ongoing police investigation.

A man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of harassment and offenses under the Internet Safety Act in connection with the Westminster honeytrap scandal.

The Metropolitan Police said he was arrested on Wednesday in Islington, north London. He remains in custody.

Police said: “The arrest relates to an investigation by the Met’s Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation Team (PLAIT) following reports of unwanted messages being sent to MPs and others.

“The investigation is ongoing.”

In April, William Wragg, then a senior Conservative MP, admitted giving his colleagues’ numbers to someone he met on Grindr, a gay dating app.

These people were then allegedly sent unwanted, flirtatious messages from senders identifying themselves as “Charlie” or “Abi”. A number of MPs are understood to have responded to the messages by uploading explicit photos of themselves.

It is suggested that at least 12 men in political circles received unsolicited messages as part of a sexting scam.

Wragg said he gave his friends’ contact details after sending the man intimate photos of himself and that he was “scared” because it had “compromising things” on it.

He said Times in April: “They wouldn’t leave me alone. They would ask for people. I gave them some numbers, but not all of them. I told him to stop. He manipulated me and now I’m hurting other people.

“I was talking to a guy on the app and we exchanged photos. We were supposed to meet for drinks, but that didn’t happen. Then he started asking about the number of people. I was worried because he had things on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number which doesn’t work now.

“I hurt people with my weakness. I was frightened. I’m terrified. I am very sorry that my weakness caused pain to other people.”

Days after the reports, Wragg, who was MP for Hazel Grove near Manchester, resigned from his Tory seat and sat as an independent. He resigned as vice-chairman of the 1922 Backbench Committee and chairman of the House of Commons Committee on Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs.

He was not expected to stand in the general election as he announced he would leave the House of Commons in 2022.

On April 6, PLAIT launched an investigation following a report of unsolicited messages being sent to MPs, including messages from both the Labor and Conservative parties and others containing links to parliament.

This is the latest news that is being updated