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Tory MP Brooks Newmark quits ministerial position following Sunday newspaper sting Tory MP Brooks Newmark quits ministerial position following Sunday newspaper sting
(about 3 hours later)
A Tory MP has resigned as Minister for Civil Society after being notified of a newspaper story on his private life due to be published tomorrow. A Tory minister quit the government tonight after a newspaper reported that he had sent an explicit photograph to an undercover journalist posing as a young, female party activist.
Brooks Newmark, the Conservative MP for Braintree, Essex, has resigned from his governmental position, Downing Street confirmed. Downing Street said that Prime Minister David Cameron had accepted the resignation of Brooks Newmark, 56, a father-of-five, from his role as Minister for Civil Society.
He said in a statement: “I have decided to resign as Minister for Civil Society having been notified of a story to be published in a Sunday newspaper. It followed a sting by the Sunday Mirror in which the newspaper claimed Mr Newmark had sent a 'graphic' photo of himself over the internet.
“I would like to appeal for the privacy of my family to be respected at this time. I remain a loyal supporter of this Government as its long term economic plan continues to deliver for the British people.” His resignation capped a difficult day for the Tories, who also suffered the defection of MP Mark Reckless to UKIP in a move which will trigger a by-election in Rochester and Strood.
He had reportedly been caught sending explicit photographs of himself to women posing as social networking users. The Sunday Mirror reported how their journalist had made contact with Mr Newmark, who has been charge of a party campaign to get more women involved in Tory politics, co-founding the Women2Win group, over Twitter.
Mr Newmark has been in the ministerial post since 15 July, in a role that works in co-operation with the Cabinet Office on “public sector efficiency and reform, including transparency and fraud, error and debt,” the government’s website states. A male reporter set up a profile under the name of 'Sophie Wittams' with bio details which read 'twenty-something Tory PR girl'. The account included a picture of a blonde woman.
His surprise resignation comes just hours after another Tory MP spectacularly resigned - though for altogether different reasons. Initial conversations about tennis with Mr Newmark and the Conservative Party later turned into private online chats of a more adult nature, the newspaper reported.
Mark Reckless, MP for Rochester and Strood, has defected to Ukip and stood down from his role triggering a by-election. He made the announcement at the Ukip party conference in Doncaster today and becomes the second Tory MP to defect to Ukip in a month. Before sending one picture, Mr Newmark said: “You MUST swear on a stack of Bibles you won't show pics as I promise not to show pics of you? OK?”
Details of the story that led to Mr Newmark’s departure are still unknown, but they will be in an article yet to be published by the Sunday Mirror. The Sunday Mirror said that on another occasion Mr Newmark sent 'Sophie' a message which read: “I want a standing full body shot but you can cover up any modest bits you wish.”
US-born Mr Newmark has been the Conservative MP for Braintree since May 2005. He was made a Cabinet Office minister in David Cameron's reshuffle in July, after working as a Tory whip from 2007 and being elected to the Treasury Select Committee in 2012. And after receiving another photo, the newspaper said Mr Newmark had replied by saying “resend without your hand in the way and legs parted and I will send something in return.”
The Daily Telegraph reports that he will replaced by Rob Wilson, a former aide to Chancellor George Osborne. Mr Newmark said in a statement this evening: “I have decided to resign as Minister for Civil Society having been notified of a story to be published in a Sunday newspaper. I would like to appeal for the privacy of my family to be respected at this time. I remain a loyal supporter of this Government as its long term economic plan continues to deliver for the British people.”
Downing Street said Rob Wilson will take over as Minister for Civil Society. “The Prime Minister has accepted Brooks Newmark's resignation,” a statement said.