Neil Paris, a Member of Parliament since 2010, announced his decision on Saturday following pressure from members of his own party to try to defuse allegations ahead of Britain’s May 5 local elections. The ballot is considered pivotal for Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is already facing a backlash from voters for parties breaking the lockdown in government offices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paris, 65, resigned after what she described as a moment of “madness”. Parish, chairman of the House Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, said he was trying to see a tractor website but stumbled upon a pornographic site with a similar name and watched it for “a while”. “My biggest crime is that otherwise I went a second time,” he told the BBC. “And that was intentional.”
“That’s enough”
Reports that a lawmaker had watched pornography between the historic green benches of the House of Commons have sparked a flurry of complaints from women in Parliament about the half-heartedness and sexual harassment they faced while doing their job. Known for a long time for its cunning, macho culture, Parliament is now a more diverse part, with women holding almost 40 percent of the seats in the House of Commons. However, lawmakers and staff say harassment and misconduct remain uncontrollable under a system that largely allows members to be policed. Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said Parish’s resignation should be a moment for people across the UK to say “enough is enough”. “I do not think there could really be any other effect on what has come to light about this particular MP in recent days,” he said as he campaigned in Fife, Scotland. “Watching porn on a mobile phone in the House of Commons when representing voters is simply unacceptable.” Paris rejected the idea that he wanted to intimidate anyone. “For all my rights and my mistakes, I was not proud of what I did,” he said. “And the only thing I did not do, and which I will take to my grave as true, is that I did not really want people to see it. In fact, I was trying to do just the opposite.” The scandal comes at a precarious time for Johnson, who will face pressure to resign if the Conservatives do poorly in the local election.
