BBC News, 27
September 2014
Mr Newmark appealed for the privacy of his family to be "respected at this time" |
Related
Stories
Tory MP for
Braintree Brooks Newmark has resigned as minister for civil society following
Sunday Mirror allegations he shared sexually explicit images of himself with an
undercover reporter over social media.
He said in
a statement he remained "a loyal supporter of this government".
His
resignation comes on the eve of the Conservative party conference.
It was
announced hours after fellow Tory MP Mark Reckless said he was quitting the
party to join UKIP.
It is
alleged the reporter was posing as a young female activist.
A Downing
Street spokesman said Prime Minister David Cameron had accepted Mr Newmark's
resignation as a minister.
UKIP
defection
Mr Newmark,
56, said: "I have decided to resign as minister for civil society having
been notified of a story to be published in a Sunday newspaper.
"I
would like to appeal for the privacy of my family to be respected at this time.
"I
remain a loyal supporter of this Government as its long term economic plan
continues to deliver for the British people."
Mr Newmark,
who has been the MP for Braintree since 2005, became minister for civil society
in July.
No 10 said
later that Rob Wilson, Conservative MP for Reading East, had been appointed as
Mr Newmark's replacement as minister for civil society.
Mark
Reckless earlier told the UKIP conference he had resigned as an MP, triggering
a by-election in Rochester and Strood.
He will
seek re-election in his constituency for UKIP.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.