Jeremy Hunt praises William Large’s ‘brave’ apology after admitting sharing MP’s phone number with dating app contacts

The chancellor has praised Conservative MP William Large for making a “brave and substantial” apology after admitting to The Times that he shared the MP’s personal phone number with someone he met on a dating app.

Jeremy Hunt said the news was “worrying”.

Scotland Yard confirmed it was in contact with Leicestershire Police and parliamentary security “following reports of unsolicited information to members of parliament”.

The Metropolitan Police added: “We will assess any reports submitted to us accordingly.”

Mr Hunt told reporters in Guildford: “The MPs involved have made brave and full apologies, but the lesson here for all MPs is that they need to be very careful about cyber security – and that’s really the lesson for members of Parliament.” The same goes for the public, as this is something we all have to deal with in our daily lives. “

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Previously, Mr Large, the Conservative MP for Hazel Grove and chairman of the select committee, admitted to The Times on Thursday night.

he tell the newspaper: “They compromised on me. They wouldn’t let me go.

“They would look for people. I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. He manipulated me and now I’m hurting other people.

“I was chatting with a guy on an app and we exchanged photos. We were going to meet up for a drink but then didn’t.

“Then he started asking about the number of people. I was worried because he had something on him. He gave me a WhatsApp number but it doesn’t work now. My weakness hurts people.”

“I’m scared. I’m ashamed. I’m sorry that my vulnerability caused harm to others.”

It was reported this week that a sitting minister, a number of MPs, party staff and political journalists received unsolicited messages from two unidentified WhatsApp users.

A spokesman for Leicestershire Police said they were investigating a report of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to Leicestershire MPs last month.

Mr Wragg, 36, previously announced that he would resign at the next electionThere was also support from Conservative MP Mark Garnier, who said he had shown “maturity and common sense”.

Mr Garnier told Sky News: “I think everyone, including William, will accept that he made a mistake, but I think William has stood up and made a statement to The Times about it in a very dignified way.

“It’s much better to have someone realize their mistakes than try to hide behind them.”

He said Mr Large, who was also deputy chairman of the 1922 Conservative backbenchers committee, had shown “maturity and common sense” by “stepping up and trying to help”.

He added: “I think William was a little bit wooden but the way he responded to it showed his dignity and I think we should support him.”

Asked whether such “honey traps” were a common experience for members of Congress, Garnier said they were.

“We are all warned … to be very careful about people’s unusually friendly behavior and other behaviors,” he said.

“It happens from time to time but again, we have a lot of single MPs who are perfectly qualified to be in relationships but you find yourself in a toxic relationship.

“We are all human beings.”

But shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was “very concerned” that MPs’ phone numbers had been passed on to “unknown sources”.

“In high positions we always have to think about our actions,” the Labor MP said. “There are also malicious actors who try to influence politics in these benign ways.”

Asked whether Mr Large should resign, Ms Reeves replied: “This is a question for the Conservative Party. The police investigation is ongoing and we are right to allow it to run its course.”

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Sky News understands Mr Large will not lose his party whip over the incident, meaning he can remain in the Conservative parliamentary party.

Chief Whip Simon Hart is also expected to address parties in the coming days.

A parliament spokesman said: “Parliament takes security issues extremely seriously and works closely with the government to respond to incidents such as this.

“We provide tailored advice to members and staff to make them aware of security risks and how to manage their digital security. We encourage anyone who is affected and has concerns to contact Parliament Security.”