An offer to renovate for the Commons, as Tory Porn MP limits a series of scandals

Parliament is facing recrimination to boost its reputation after a senior Tory admitted to watching pornography twice in Commons covered a series of scandals.

Neil Parish he bowed to the pressure and said he would resign as an MP for Tiverton and Honiton after seeing the material in the hall in a “moment of madness”.

The 65-year-old chairman of the elected committee, who is a farmer by profession, said he first mistakenly viewed pornography after looking at tractors online, and then acted intentionally.

Speaker of the Assembly, sir Lindsay Hoyle Calls for a “radical” reform of labor practices through a range of intimidation and sexual abuse offenses involving deputies.

Sir Lindsay called for urgent action, and suggested that the Members they work for should no longer employ staff to deal with a series of “serious allegations”.

He considered moving to an outside body to hire assistants, fearing that parliament’s reputation would fall to a new low.

Sir Lindsay wrote in the Observer: “I believe it is time to review our work practices and, in particular, whether it is right for individual Members to be employers of their staff. Should the staff be recruited by someone else – or an external body if the Member has a choice?

“In my opinion, it is time to consider radical action and review the structures and processes that could make a difference. There have been some serious allegations that we urgently need to address. It is essential that we also work on the part of employees and Members.

“At the end of the day, I want to ensure that everyone feels supported and where they can turn – and that this house will not only be a safe and inclusive place to work, but a model for other legislators.”

He wants to set up a “president’s conference” to bring together MEPs to discuss change.

Meanwhile, the president of the Tory party Oliver Dowden reiterated Boris Johnson’s commitment to ensure that half of the Conservative candidates for the Commons are women.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Dowden said Tories must ensure that their candidate list “reflects the fact that half the population is women”.

About a quarter of Conservative candidates in the 2019 election were women, but Labor managed to ensure that women represented more than half of their candidates.

Earlier this week, Culture Minister Nadine Dorries suggested ensuring that a “majority of women” in parliament could help tackle Westminster subjugation.

Mr Parish, who chairs the Committee on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, fought to stay in the Assembly after it was revealed that he was an MP who was reported by two colleagues to have seen watching pornography.

But on Saturday, the agent said he would resign as he acknowledged the “furor” and “damage” he had caused to his family and his constituency in Devon.

Explaining his behavior in an interview with BBC South West, Mr Parish said: “The situation was, it’s funny that I was looking at tractors, so I came across another site with a very similar name and I was looking for a while, which I shouldn’t have to do.

“My crime, my greatest crime, is that I entered for the second time on another occasion, and that on purpose.

“This sitting was waiting for a vote on the side of the chamber.”

His departure will pave the way for by-elections in the safe seat of the Tories, which Mr Parish won in 2019 with more than 14,000 Labor votes.

It was the latest in a series of horrific events to accompany the Commons in recent weeks.

Three cabinet ministers are among 56 lawmakers to face sexual abuse allegations forwarded to the Independent Complaints and Appeals Scheme.

Senior Labor MP Liam Byrne is said to have been suspended from the assembly for two days for intimidating a staff member.

David Warburton had the Conservative Whip removed after allegations of sexual harassment and cocaine use emerged.

Former Tory Imran Ahmad Khan has resigned after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.

Mr Parish is still facing an investigation by the Independent Complaints and Appeals Scheme (ICGS), which is investigating allegations of intimidation and sexual harassment.