Mr Parish, a Tiverton and Honiton MP in East Devon, said he had examined adult material twice and that a second case was appropriate. Speaking to the BBC, he said he had initially stumbled upon the site while searching for information on a tractor, but later returned to it deliberately. And he admitted, “I was not proud of what I did.” The senior supporter had said yesterday that he intended to remain in his position in the Commons and retain his position as chairman of the Westminster Environment Committee until the investigation by model commissioner Katherine Stone is completed. In a dramatic change of mind, he decided today that he could no longer remain in office, saying that the dispute over his position was hurting his family and his constituency party. The 65-year-old former farmer – a longtime Western MEP before entering parliament in 2010 – is believed to have come under intense pressure from a Conservative party worried about the impact a protracted scandal could have on his prospects in crucial local elections across Britain. on Thursday. He told the BBC’s Politics South West: “I thought I could explain to the standards committee what happened and it would be worthwhile to explain what happened. “But in the end, I could see that, with the rage, the damage I was doing to my family, my constituency and my club – it just was not worth continuing. “The situation was that, quite funny, it was a tractor that I was seeing and I actually went to another site that had a very similar name. “And I watched it for a while, something I should not have done.” Mr Parish said the first case had taken place in the House of Commons, but had later deliberately returned to the same premises while in the adjoining lobby. However, she insisted that she had not done so with the intention of the women MPs watching the video. “My crime – my biggest crime – is that in another case, I went a second time,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. “He was sitting and waiting to vote on the side of the room, on the side door as you enter the lobbies.” Asked why he felt it was acceptable to watch adult material in the Commons, he replied: “Nothing. [it was] a moment of madness and also completely wrong. “But what I want to record is that, despite my rights and my mistakes, I was not proud of what I did. 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 the exact opposite. “ He described his actions as “madness, total madness” and admitted that he had lost what he claimed was “one of the best rumors ever” in the House of Commons. “I am not going to defend it,” he said. “What I did was completely wrong. “I think I must have completely abandoned my senses and my sensibilities and my sense of decency and everything. “I do not defend what I did for a moment, but I thought that the best thing I could do – and that is why I want to record it – is to tell the truth.” Mr Parish’s resignation came amid growing criticism of the Conservative Party’s slow response to the scandal. His name was given to Leader Chris Heaton-Harris on Tuesday afternoon by two female Tory MPs who had seen him watch pornography. But there was no announcement of any action in the case until the afternoon of the next day, when the story reached the press. Mr Heaton-Harris first referred the case to Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, which deals with allegations of harassment and intimidation by MPs and parliamentary staff. It was only three days after the initial complaint – during which other MEPs were found to be the subject of Westminister’s inaccurate rumors about the identity of the culprit – that Mr Parish finally named himself and referred himself to a model investigation. The shadow leader of the Workers’ Communities, Thangam Debbonaire, said Mr Parish’s resignation was “the right decision”. “The people of Tiverton and Honiton deserve better than the disgusting behavior of Neil Parish,” said Debbonaire. “But it is shocking that the Conservatives allowed this catastrophe to last for many days. Again and again the Tories refuse to act, resorting to cover-ups and dragging the reputation of other MPs and the house with them. “From the Owen Paterson scandal, the vote in favor of Rob Roberts’s stay in parliament and their failure to act against their pedophile MP Imran Ahmad Khan, this conservative government is rotting upside down. “Britain deserves better.” Liberal Democrat Vice President Daisy Cooper said: “It is appalling that Neil Paris had to be forced to resign as Conservative leaders spent days dragging their feet. “This still leaves unanswered questions about the leadership of Boris Johnson and his failure to trust the word of his women MPs. The Conservative Party must now call immediate midterm elections so that the people of Tiverton and Honiton can finally get the representation they deserve. “From health and crime failures to Partygate and porn scandals, the Conservatives take voters for granted. “This Thursday is an opportunity to send a clear message that Boris Johnson’s time is over.” A Conservative spokesman for Tiverton and Honiton said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank Neil Parish for his service to our communities over the past 12 years. We support his decision to resign from our parliament “.
