The MP at the centre of a honeytrap blackmail scandal has voluntarily relinquished the Conservative whip.
William Wragg will sit as an independent when the Commons returns next week.
He has come under increasing pressure ever since he admitted giving the phone numbers of MPs, political aides and a journalist to a suspected scammer.
It comes just hours after he left senior roles in parliament and the party.
A spokesperson for the Conservative whips’ office said: “Following Will Wragg’s decision to step back from his roles on the Public Accounts and 1922 committees, he has also notified the Chief Whip that he is voluntarily relinquishing the Conservative Whip.”
READ MORE: Should William Wragg be shamed for his sexuality after Grindr scandal?
Last week Mr Wragg admitted to the Times that he had passed over the details of colleagues after he had sent intimate pictures of himself.
Two police forces are investigating.
According to Politico, at least 21 people were sent unsolicited WhatsApp messages by one or both of two phone numbers, which alternatively used the names “Charlie” or “Abi.”
They include Labour and Tory MPs and one serving UK Government minister.
Luke Evans, a Tory MP, alerted police after being sent a photo of a naked woman on WhatsApp, which was followed by a message 10 days later.
Initially, the response to Mr Wragg’s confession was sympathetic, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt calling his colleague “courageous” for coming forward.
However, there had been growing unhappiness.
Dame Andrea Jenkyns accused her Tory colleague of “unforgivable” behaviour.
“Unlike some MPs I am not happy with Wragg, as a mother with a young child who only recently had threats. It’s unforgivable of him to compromise the security of fellow MPs. Action is needed,” she wrote on X.
Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden said it was right for Mr Wragg to resign the whip.
He told Sky News: “He has issued a fulsome apology, he has resigned from the 1922 Committee executive, he has resigned a role as chair of PACAC, which is an important committee in Parliament, and he has also given up the Conservative whip.
“I think we already knew he wouldn’t be standing at the next election, he is standing down, so yes, I think that’s the right thing to have done.”
Asked whether Mr Wragg had jumped or been pushed, Mr Holden said the now-Independent MP had “made his decision”.
He added: “It’s quite clear his career in public life is at an end.”
READ MORE: Why is Downing St standing by this horny idiot?
Earlier on Tuesday, it emerged that man in his late 20s has contacted the police to say that the photos of Charlie had been taken from his Facebok page.
Three photos were used on the gay dating app Grindr, with the account contacting attendees at the Lib Dem conference in September 2023.
There is no suggestion of any connection between the man and either the blackmailer or those targeted.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “Officers from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command are carrying out an investigation following reports that a number of unsolicited messages were sent to MPs over recent months.”
A Parliamentary spokesperson said: “Parliament takes security extremely seriously and works closely with government and the police 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.”
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