MP who watched porn in the Commons considering standing at next election
A former MP who resigned after admitting he had seen pornography in the House of Commons said he was considering standing again in the next general election.
Neil Parish resigned from his Tiverton and Honiton seat after declaring he was the politician that other MPs had seen watching X-rated material in Parliament.
But in a candid interview, Mr Parish said he felt he had “unfinished business” at Westminster and was considering running again as the Conservative Party candidate.
The former chair of the Special Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs resigned as MP in April after professing to watch adult content on the green benches.
He said he accidentally viewed explicit video while looking for tractors, before later doing so on purpose in the chamber.
Asked by Times Radio if he would consider standing for re-election, Mr Parish said: “Yes, I just don’t want to leave it like that at the moment.
“If you leave as suddenly as I had to, there is so much unfinished business.
“So I don’t really want to leave it at that at the moment.”
The constituency formerly held by Mr Parish was Tiverton and Honiton, which was taken over by the Liberal Democrats in a June by-election.
The party toppled a Conservative majority of more than 24,000 in a 38-point vote change.
However, the seat is likely to be split as part of Boundary Commission proposals due to be completed later this year, with the redesigned seat being renamed Tiverton and Minehead.
Mr Parish said the new seat “comes very close to my farm” and that he would “very much consider standing there in the next general election”.
The next election has not yet been scheduled, but is expected to take place before 2025.
When asked if he would appear as a Tory, he said: “I will offer my services to the party – whether the party will have me or not is another matter.
“But then I have the opportunity to compete as an independent.
“There’s a certain appeal to me in actually having a chance as an independent
“The next general election could be one where people are looking for something different than all political parties.”
During the 10-minute interview, Mr Parish admitted he felt “great regret” at the circumstances of his resignation from Parliament.
Calling it a “horrible mistake,” he added, “The shame about it is you’re basically seen as a sleazeball.
“And you can understand why people would think that. So yes, there is shame.
“But once you’ve made a mistake, once you’ve admitted a mistake and when you’ve resigned to it, I think think about it for a while, but then move on.”
