Markus Andrews

As the BBC’s new political editor, Chris Mason will likely have his every word scrutinised for any sign of bias. But pieces written when he was a student show that the corporation’s star Westminster journalist didn’t always have to be so impartial. One article written by Mr Mason for his student paper at Cambridge University, revealed his particular disdain for the House of Lords – labelling it a “talking shop for past-it politicians and do-gooders in high places”. The Independent has unearthed the comments after Mr Mason was unveiled as the BBC’s new political editor, taking over from Laura Kuenssberg.Mason, who currently hosts Radio 4’s Any Questions?, has been praised for his “calm, incisive analysis and signature candid style” and was reportedly considered a safe pair of hands by BBC executives for the tough job of political editor. A keen student journalist, the Yorkshireman co-founded The Cambridge Student newspaper in the winter of 1999, and alternated between the roles of Deputy Editor, Associate Editor, and a member on the editorial advisory board.In an interview Mason landed with Margaret Thatcher’s former chancellor Norman Lamont for the paper’s 3 October 2000 edition, he offered his own opinion of parliament’s second chamber. More

Neil Parish has resigned as an MP, after watching porn in the House of Commons in what he described as a “moment of madness”.Mr Parish – the MP for Tiverton and Honiton in east Devon – admitted that he had looked at adult material twice, and that the second occasion was deliberate.Speaking to the BBC, he said that initially he had stumbled across the website while looking for information about tractors, but later returned deliberately to the website. And he admitted: “I was not proud of what I was doing.”The senior backbencher had come under intense pressure after indicating yesterday that he intended to remain in his Commons seat, and hold onto his position as chair of the Westminster environment committee, until the completion of an investigation by standards commissioner Kathryn Stone.In a dramatic change of heart, he decided today he could no longer remain in post, saying that the row over his position was harming his family and his constituency party.The 65-year-old former farmer – a long-serving MEP for the West Country before entering parliament in 2010 – is thought to have come under intense pressure from a Conservative Party concerned about the impact a drawn-out scandal could have on its prospects in crucial local elections across Britain on Thursday.He told the BBC’s Politics South-West: “I thought that I could explain to the standards committee what happened and it was it would be worth explaining what happened. “But in the end, I could see that – with the furore, the damage I was causing my family and my constituency and association – it just wasn’t worth carrying on. ”The situation was that, funnily enough, it was tractors I was looking at and I did get into another website that had a sort of very similar name. “And I watched it for a bit, which I shouldn’t have done.”Mr Parish said that the first occasion occurred in the Commons chamber, but he later deliberately went back to the same site while in the adjoining voting lobby. But he insisted that he never did it with the intention that women MPs would see the footage.“My crime – my biggest crime is that on another occasion, I went in a second time,” he said. “That was deliberate. That was sitting waiting to vote on the side of the chambe, on the side door as you enter back into the lobbies.”Asked why he felt it was acceptable to watch adult material in the Commons, he replied: “Nothing … (it was) a moment of madness and also totally wrong. “But what I do want to put on record is that, for all my rights and wrongs, I was not proud of what I was doing. And the one thing I wasn’t doing – and which I will take to my grave as being true – is I was not actually making sure people could see it. In fact, I was trying to do quite the opposite.”He described his actions as “madness, total madness”, and accepted he had lost what he claimed had been “one of the best reputations ever” in the House of Commons.”I’m not going to defend it,” he said. “What I did was absolutely, totally wrong. “I think I must have taken complete leave of my senses and my sensibilities and my sense of decency and everything. I’m not defending what I did for one moment, but I thought the best thing I can do – and that’s why I want to put this on record – is absolutely tell the truth.”Mr Parish’s resignation came amid growing criticism for the Conservative Party’s slow reponse to a scandal. His name was passed to chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris on Tuesday evening by two female Tory MPs who witnessed him viewing porn. But there was no announcement of any action in the case until the afternoon of the following day when the story reached the press. Mr Heaton-Harris initially referred the case to parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, which deals with allegations of harassment and bullying from MPS and parliamentary staff.It was not until three days after the initial complaint – during which time other MPs found themselves the subject of inaccurate Westminister rumours about the identity of the culprit – that Mr Parish was finally named and referred himself to a standards investigation.Labour’s shadow leader of the Commons, Thangam Debbonaire said that Mr Parish’s resignation was “the right decision”.“The people of Tiverton and Honiton deserve better than Neil Parish’s disgusting behaviour,” said Ms Debbonaire.“But it’s shocking that the Conservatives have allowed this debacle to drag out over many days. Time and again the Tories refuse to act, resorting to cover-ups and dragging the reputation of other MPs and the House down with them.”From the Owen Paterson scandal, voting to keep Rob Roberts in parliament, and their failure to act against their paedophile MP Imran Ahmad Khan, this Conservative government is rotting from the head down. Britain deserves better.”Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “It is appalling that Neil Parish had to be pushed to resign after those in charge of the Conservative Party spent days dragging their feet.“This still leaves unanswered questions about Boris Johnson’s leadership and his failure to trust the word of his female MPs. The Conservative party must now swiftly call a by-election, so the people of Tiverton and Honiton can finally get the proper representation they deserve.“From health and crime failures to partygate and porn scandals, the Conservatives are taking voters for granted. This Thursday is a chance to send a clear message that Boris Johnson’s time is up.” More

Neil Parish resigns after admitting to watching pornography twice in the House of CommonsNeil Parish has resigned as a Tory MP after admitting to watching pornography in the Commons chamber twice, in what he described as a “moment of madness”The Tiverton and Honiton MP, who is a farmer, said he first watched adult content by mistake after looking at tractors on his mobile phone. However, he admitted the second time was deliberate.“I was not proud of what I was doing,” he told BBC South West, in an interview which saw him tear up. “I’m not going to defend what I did … it was absolutely wrong.” But he denied watching the material in a way where he hoped other people would see it. Two female colleagues, on Tuesday, reported they had seen him looking at pornography while sitting near them. On Friday, Mr Parish had the whip suspended and referred himself to the standards committee, but ignored calls to resign immediately. However, he said today he had changed his mind after seeing the pain and damage it was causing his family, his constituency and local association. “I make a full apology. A total full apology,” he said.Show latest update

1651330272Rayner doubts Parish’s reason for viewing porn in CommonsAngela Rayner has ridiculed outgoing Tory Neil Parish following his BBC interview, in which he confirmed he would resign as an MP for watching pornography in the Commons.Explaining how the situation came about, Mr Parish, who is a farmer, claimed he was looking at tractors when he “got into another website that had a very similar name”.He also admitted to deliberately viewing similar content at another time while inside the debating chamber. “My crime – biggest crime – is that on another occasion I went in a second time,” he said.Responding to his claims, Ms Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, said mockingly: “He was looking for tractors but ended up with porn actors? Neil Parish must think you were all born yesterday.” In a tweet, she added:Sam Hancock30 April 2022 15:511651329687Watch: Parish resigns after admitting to watching porn in CommonsNeil Parish resigns after admitting to watching pornography in the CommonsSam Hancock30 April 2022 15:411651328455Parish admits losing all ‘decency’ but denies watching porn as form of intimidationMore from Neil Parish’s BBC interview now, during which he said viewing porn in the House of Commons was a “moment of madness” and “I was not proud of what I was doing”.He continued: “The situation was that – funnily enough it was tractors I was looking at. I did get into another website that had a very similar name and I watched it for a bit which I shouldn’t have done. But my crime – biggest crime – is that on another occasion I went in a second time.”When asked whether viewing the porn for a second time had been deliberate, he said: “That was deliberate… that was sitting waiting to vote on the side of the chamber.” But he denied watching the material in a way where he hoped other people would see it. He added: “What I did was absolutely totally wrong.”Asked what “possesed” him to view the material in parliament, Mr Parish described his actions as “madness, total madness”, and accepted he had lost what he claimed had been “one of the best reputations ever” in the House of Commons. He went on:“I think I must have taken complete leave of my senses and my sensibilities and my sense of decency and everything. I’m not defending what I did for one moment, but I thought the best thing I can do – and that’s why I want to put this on record – is absolutely tell the truth.”The disgraced official finished by issuing “a full apology. A total full apology.” More

BBC’s Chris Mason will have to grill ministers and distil complicated Westminster stories for millions of viewers in his new job as the corporation’s political editor.But, it can be revealed, the Yorkshireman honed his skills as a student journalist quizzing a rather different interviewee – a notorious brothel keeper.Mason, who currently hosts Radio 4’s Any Questions?, will be filling Laura Kuenssberg’s shoes after the May elections. He is reportedly considered a safe pair of hands within the organisation and was praised for his “calm, incisive analysis” by a BBC executive when the move was announced.A keen student journalist at Cambridge university, the 42-year-old co-founded The Cambridge Student newspaper in the winter of 1999 and held a number of editorial roles.In an article from the 2 November 2000 issue, Mason interviewed Cynthia Payne, a madam who was put on trial in 1980 for running a “disorderly house”. More

Conservative Neil Parish is expected to announce today that he is resigning as an MP after being accused of watching pornography on his phone in the House of Commons chamber.A party source told the PA news agency that the Tiverton and Honiton MP was likely to make his decision clear by the end of Saturday.Mr Parish had the Conservative whip suspended on Friday after referring himself to the Commons standards commissioner for investigation of complaints made by two female Tory MPs to chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris on Tuesday.The 65-year-old initially insisted he would continue to represent his east Devon constituency in Westminster, and remain as chair of the Commons Environment Committee, until Kathryn Stone’s inquiry is concluded – a process which could take months.But he was coming under increasing pressure from fellow-MPs who said that if he had viewed adult material in the Commons chamber he should go immediately.There is concern in Tory high command over the damage which could be done to the party’s reputation in the crucial days before local elections taking place across Britain on Thursday.Caroline Dinenage, a Conservative member of the Commons women and equalities committee, said Parish should go, saying: “I cannot see how his position is sustainable.”And the committee’s chair, Caroline Nokes, said she was disappointed at the delay before he was suspended from the party.“I fully expected to wake up on the Wednesday morning and find that a Member of Parliament had the whip suspended,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.“I was very disappointed when there wasn’t immediate action by the chief whip to do that. I think it was important, not least because a cloud was hanging over other colleagues’ heads because nobody knew the identity.“And to be frank, as a female parliamentarian, I wanted reassurance from the whips that they were going to take this seriously and act.”Labour has accused Conservative party whips of a “shameful” delay in taking action over the allegations against Mr Parish.Labour frontbencher Bridget Phillipson told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “What we’ve seen is absolutely shocking. And really, there can be no place for that in parliament or any workplace.“It shouldn’t have taken days for him to be referred to the process. That doesn’t necessarily involve him being named, but it was clear no action had been taken.“For some days Conservative whips knew exactly who he was. And at the same time, of course, people in the House of Commons – and that’s not just MPs, thousands of people work there – would be concerned about what that would mean.“This isn’t just a case about MPs. It’s a workplace for many people and they’ve got every right to feel safe when they are at work. That’s why it’s shameful it’s taken so long for action to happen.” More

Watching pornography in a public place should be made a criminal offence in the UK, the author of a keystone new report on misogyny has told The Independent in the wake of Tory MP Neil Parish’s suspension for viewing adult material in the Commons.Eminent barrister and peer Helena Kennedy said that had been a dramatic and alarming increase in recent years in men viewing hardcore porn on trains or buses when seated next to women they do not know or showing women graphic pictures in workplaces, pubs and clubs, apparently getting a thrill from the discomfort and distress they cause.She said her year-long inquiry for the Scottish government,published last month, found that social media and easy access to porn on phones has created an “incredible disinhibiting effect” which has transformed the kind of abuse women face in public places.Like other forms of misogyny, the act of making women look at pornographic images against their will is often undertaken as a demonstration of power, with men using it to “put women in their place”, she said.And for some men in positions of authority, like MPs, may be even more prone to this kind of action because of the risk-taking and domineering personalities which drive their careers.“Something has happened in recent times,” said Baroness Kennedy. “It’s not new for women to be sexually harassed and have people being predatory and behaving in an inappropriate sexual way – rubbing themselves up against you, touching you and commenting on you inappropriately, all that stuff.“What became very clear to me when taking evidence for my inquiry was that social media has had an incredible disinhibiting effect on people.“We know that people feel disinhibited about what they can say online, but it’s now shifted and it people are now disinhibited in in the public square and in the workplace – they do things and say things now that would never be said five or 10 years ago.“Something has just multiplied and magnified all of this and I believe that social media has a lot to answer for.”Evidence was given to Lady Kennedy’s inquiry of men viewing hardcore porn – including videos of sex with animals – on buses in such a way as to ensure women sitting beside them could see it.“There’s some sort of titillation they get from discomforting a woman with this stuff,” she told The Independent.“You would have expected that Westminster would have been above the fray all of this. You expect better conduct from mature people who have responsibilities and must consciously be mindful of the ways in which this could have consequences.“But often people who are in positions of authority and power, do these things even more outrageously than other people because they somehow imagine they have impunity.”Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon last month welcomed the Kennedy report’s recommendation for the creation of a law making misogyny an aggravating factor in offences against women, which is currently under consideration by the Scottish government.Lady Kennedy said she would like to see the inquiry’s recommnedations taken up in Westminster too, including a new offence of public misogynistic harassment which would cover forcing a woman to view porn against her will.“It has to be made clear to the men doing these things that there are consequences,” she said.“It’s about sexual harassment in a public place. My strong view that there has to be a public misogynistic harassment offense.“We need we need it to be criminalised. Scotland’s ahead of the game because they’re in favour of doing it and it should be done in Westminster too.”Lady Kennedy said that the complaints and grievance systems set up in the wake of the Pestminster scandals of 2017 must be reviewed and strengthened to take account of the rapid development of the problem over the last few years.“One of the problems in all of this is that women who complain very often suffer the consequences,” she said. “Their own political party or their employer is angry with them for bringing the spotlight down on them in a negative way. They get the anger of other male members of parliament or other people in their workplace who see them a troublemaker.” More

The chair of Westminster’s women and equalities committee has described the atmosphere in the House of Commons as being like “a boys’ prep school”.Caroline Nokes revealed that she has stopped attending early-morning meetings of Tory MPs because of inappropriate comments and no longer went to the party’s annual conference because of the “horrible” behaviour she experience.Speaking amid intense debate over misogyny in parliament sparked by the news that Tory Neil Parish watched porn in the Commons chamber, Ms Nokes revealed that she had personally been subjected to male MPs “touching, staring, bullying, trashing my reputation”.Speaking on the Chopper’s Politics podcast, Ms Nokes criticised a “locker room” culture in the Commons which made it feel like “a boy’s prep school [except] the inmates haven’t quite got to 13”.“The stark reality is that there is still a culture of banter which in any other workplace would have been stamped out long ago,” she said.“There have been incidents that I’ve reported to whips. MPs inappropriately touching me. I can remember being bullied by one.”Ms Nokes added that “horrible things” had happened to her, including “touching, staring, bullying, trashing my reputation”.Explaining why she no longer attends Conservative annual conference, Ms Nokes said: “I’ve had some horrible, horrible incidents happen there.“The bars are horrible. The receptions are horrible. I can remember a male parliamentarian touching my arm inappropriately in the breakfast room in the hotel in Birmingham. Just stroked my arm over breakfast. Horrific.”Ms Nokes said: “There is something about politics that attracts a certain type of particularly macho willy-waving man.“It is a profession where people who are assertive and domineering are attracted to it. And I think that causes challenges.” More

Neil Parish’s wife has revealed that she first learnt that her husband was the MP accused of watching porn in the Commons from a journalist.The Tory MP’s name was confirmed publicly by the Conservative whips’ office around 3pm on Friday, but it was not until he returned home later that day that Mr Parish confessed to his wife – by which time she had already been told the details in a phone call from a reporter.Speaking alongside his wife in their Somerset farmhouse home last night, the 65-year-old Tiverton and Honiton MP told the Daily Telegraph that having the accusation in the open was “almost as if a weight is lifted off me”.Mr Parish has previously admitted he did not come clean with his wife about the allegations levelled at him on Tuesday evening by two Tory women MPs until Friday afternoon, saying a flat mobile phone battery stopped him speaking to her when his name first became public that day.Reports suggest that he broke down in tears when the pair finally met, telling her: “I’m sorry you married such an idiot.”Mrs Parish, 66, made clear that she was standing by her husband of 41 years, saying that the matter had been settled between them to her satisfaction.She said she first discovered that the MP at the centre of the porn scandal was her husband when a reporter called to ask for comment.“I didn’t know anything about it until he rang and said, ‘Oh, you know what I’m ringing about…’” she said.“I didn’t know who was more embarrassed, actually, me or him, poor chap.”Mr Parish hailed his wife as “amazingly loyal and better than I deserve”, to which she responded with a chuckle: “That’s for sure.”In his first public comment on the case, on Friday afternoon, the MP of 12 years’ standing, who chairs the Commons environment committee, made a point of thanking his wife publicly for her support.“Of course it’s embarrassing, and it’s embarrassing for my wife and family,” he said. “I have a very supportive wife and I thank her for that.”Mrs Parish said her husband was “quite a normal guy, really, a lovely person”, adding: “It’s just so stupid.”She said that the female MPs who complained about Mr Parish were “quite right” to be upset”, adding: “He would never just sit there with people looking. He would never just do that knowing [people were looking]”.But she added: “If you were mad with every man who looked at pornography, you would not have many wives in the world.”Mrs Parish said she did not understand the attraction of pornography. “I’m a woman,” she said. “Hence why the women were so cross. It’s degrading. It’s demeaning.”Despite calls for his immediate resignation Mr Parish told the Telegraph that he aimed to remain an MP and chair of the environment committee until an inquiry by Commons standards commissioner Sue Gray concludes – a process which could take months.“Strangely, now it’s out in the open, it’s almost as if a weight is lifted off me, really,” he said.“So we will let it take this process now. Whatever people may say, I’ve been a pretty hard-working MP and I shall carry on doing so until such time as I make a decision either to remain or to go.” More