The wife of the Tory MP under investigation for allegedly watching porn on his phone in the House of Commons only found out when a reporter called her about the story.
Sue Parish, 66, said she first became aware of her husband Neil’s suspension from the Conservative party when a journalist got in touch looking for a comment.
“I didn’t know anything about it until he rang and said, ‘Oh, you know what I’m ringing about’,” she told the Daily Telegraph. “I didn’t know who was more embarrassed, actually, me or him. Poor chap.”
It appeared the Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton in Devon had given his wife a satisfactory explanation for the incident and the couple were able to joke about it, despite the inquiry.
“My wife is amazingly loyal and better than I deserve,” Neil Parish said, to which his wife replied “that’s for sure” while chuckling, according to the report.
Sue Parish previously told the Times that the accusations were “all very embarrassing”, adding: “My breath was taken away, frankly.
“People shouldn’t be looking at pornography. He would never just sit there with people looking. He would never just do that knowing [people were looking]. These ladies were quite right to be as [upset] as they were.”
Describing her husband as a “normal … lovely person”, she said: “If you were mad with every man who looked at pornography, you would not have many wives in the world.
“It’s degrading. It’s demeaning. But on the other hand it takes two to tango. There must be women posing for all this.”
Her husband, a senior Tory MP of 12 years and the chair of the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, had the whip suspended after becoming the fourth MP from his party since the last election to face claims of impropriety.
He told the Telegraph it felt “almost as if a weight is lifted off me” now the allegations were out in the open.
He said he had not yet spoken to Boris Johnson and added: “Whatever people may say, I’ve been a pretty hardworking MP and I shall carry on doing so until such time as I make a decision either to remain or to go.”
When asked what happened, Parish said he had viewed the porn “by accident”, although he did not elaborate on how this had happened.
