A Tory MP accused of watching porn in the House of Commons has said he will continue working as a member of parliament while an investigation gets underway.

Neil Parish, who represents Tiverton and Honiton, has been suspended from the Conservative’s parliamentary party while the allegations are examined.

Speaking out for the first time since he was identified, he said he will ‘continue to perform my duties’ as an MP.

He said: ‘Following recent allegations regarding an MP’s use of their mobile phone in Parliament, I have referred myself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards in the House of Commons.

‘I will be cooperating fully with any investigation, and whilst it is ongoing I will continue to perform my duties as MP for Tiverton and Honiton.

‘I will not be making further comments at this stage.’

The confirmation of the man at the centre of the allegations ends days of speculation over his identity since the claims surfaced during a meeting of Tory MPs on Tuesday.

Two female Conservative MPs claimed they had witnessed a colleague watching adult material on his phone during a discussion about sexual harassment.

Party chiefs initially refused to name the man at the centre of the complaint as a debate raged on about a ‘shameful’ culture in Westminster.

Hours after the furore erupted on Wednesday, Mr Parish, a 65-year-old grandfather-of-two, downplayed the extent of sexual misconduct by MPs in a live TV broadcast.

 He was invited to discuss the allegations by GB News’ Darren McCaffrey at the end of an interview about the Ukraine war.

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Asked whether the whip should be removed from the then-unnamed MP, he replied: ‘I think the whip’s office will do a thorough investigation and we will wait and see that result. From that, then the decision will have to be made what action to be taken.’

Pressed on whether there is a ‘problem with the culture in Parliament’, he continued: ‘You’ve got 650 members of Parliament in what is a very intense area.

‘You are going to get people that step over the line.

‘I don’t think there’s necessarily a huge culture here, but I think it does have to be dealt with and dealt with seriously, and I think that’s what the whips will do.’

Conservative chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris suspended Mr Parish, who has represented the Devon constituency since 2010, after they talked on Friday afternoon.

The Tories have refered the matter to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), which looks into claims of bullying and sexual harassment.

It is understood that process has now started after at least one witness made a referral.

But a second investigation could be launched after Mr Parish’s commitment to refer himself to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone.

It was unclear what potential breach of the MPs’ code of conduct he would report himself for.

But it is thought one line of inquiry could be whether Mr Parish caused “significant damage to the reputation and integrity” of the Commons.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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