Senior Conservative MP William Wragg has admitted to leaking the phone numbers of his colleagues to a man he met on a dating app.
Wragg, who sits as the vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee, said he gave the details to the man after sending intimate pictures of himself.
The colleagues, which included a number of MPs, their staff members and one political journalist, were subsequently targeted by a "spear phishing" scam which saw them recieve flirtatious messages and explicit images from someone calling themselves either "Charlie" or "Abi".
Wragg told the Times he was "scared" that the man "had compromising things on me".
Senior Conservative MP William Wragg has admitted to leaking the phone numbers of his colleagues to a man he met on a dating app
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He said he was "mortified" about the incident and apologised for his "weakness".
The MP for Hazel Grove said: "They had compromising things on me. They wouldn’t leave me alone. They would ask for people.
"I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. He’s manipulated me and now I’ve hurt other people.
"I got chatting to a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures. We were meant to meet up for drinks, but then didn’t.
"Then he started asking for numbers of people. I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesn’t work now."
Wragg has already announced his intention to stand down at the next election, but he may be forced to sit as an independent if the Conservative whip is removed as a result of the incident.
Leicestershire Police has opened an investigation into a report of "malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month".
The individuals affected, identified by Politico, each reported encounters which bore striking similarities to each other. In a number of cases, explicit photos were sent.
Head of the Cybersecurity Institute at the University of Liverpool, Dominik Wojtczak, said he thinks the messages were part of a "spear phishing attack".
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle wrote to all MPs and staff this week to tell them that the parliamentary security department is conducting an investigation into the incident
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This form of cyber attack is a highly personalised form of phishing which aims to collect compromising details about a victim.
He said: "The purpose is most likely to simply obtain indecent images of the victims and then blackmail them".
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle wrote to all MPs and staff this week to tell them that the parliamentary security department is conducting an investigation into the incident, urging anyone with knowledge of the messages to "come forward...and share the details and any concerns.
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He said that parliamentary authorities will "work closely with partners in government to analyse and understand the nature of these messages and any related security risk."
A parliamentary spokesman told the Times: "Parliament takes security extremely seriously and works closely with government in response to such incidents.
"We provide members and staff with tailored advice, making them aware of security risks and how to manage their digital safety.
"We are encouraging anyone affected who has concerns to contact the Parliamentary Security Department.”
Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the “revelations” that William Wragg had been blackmailed into sharing colleagues’ phone numbers were “incredibly concerning”.
Asked if the MP for Hazel Grove should resign, she said: “That’s a question for the Conservatives. The police investigation is now under way and it is right that we allow that investigation to take its course.”
She added: “I’m very concerned about what seems to have happened in this incident, especially about MPs’ telephone numbers being passed on to unknown sources.
“That is really concerning and it is right that there is a proper investigation into this.
“In positions of responsibility we always have to think about our actions but there are also malevolent players out there who are trying to influence politics in these benign ways.”
Two police forces are now investigating the scandal.
On Friday, Scotland Yard confirmed it was in contact with Leicestershire Police and Parliamentary Security “following reporting of unsolicited messages to members of Parliament”, amid concerns other MPs and their staff could be victims of blackmail. We will assess any reports made to us accordingly,” the Met added.
Leicestershire Police has confirmed it is investigating a report of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month.
A spokesperson for the force said: “They were reported to police on Tuesday March 19. Inquiries are currently ongoing.”
