Yahoo News Two more MPs 'sent explicit photos' amid William Wragg Grindr sexting scam
Tory MP Wragg has reportedly admitted he gave the personal phone numbers of colleagues to a man he met on a gay dating app.
Two more MPs are reported to have sent explicit pictures of themselves to an unknown scammer after Tory MP William Wragg reportedly admitted sharing details of colleagues after falling victim to a 'honey trap'.
Wragg, the MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester, told the Times he gave the personal phone numbers of colleagues to a man he met on gay dating app Grindr after he had sent intimate pictures of himself. The newspaper also claimed two more MPs are understood to have responded by sending potentially compromising images of themselves to the scammer or scammers.
A Leicestershire Police spokesperson confirmed it was investigating a report of malicious communications after several unsolicited messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month.
On Friday, Scotland Yard confirmed it was in contact with Leicestershire Police and Parliamentary Security “following reporting of unsolicited messages to members of Parliament”, amid concerns other MPs and their staff could be victims of blackmail.
Responses to the claims from within the House of Commons have been mixed.
The chancellor Jeremy Hunt appeared to give his support to William Wragg, describing his apology as “courageous and fulsome”. Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the claims were “incredibly concerning”.
What's happened?
On Wednesday, the online news outlet Politico reported that at least six people - four officials working for MPs, a political journalist and one senior Labour MP - had been contacted by an unknown number detailing prior meetings with politicians in efforts to acquire personal or sensitive information.
Politico reported that these political figures had received the unsolicited messages from two numbers calling themselves “Abi” or “Charlie”.
The messages would include details of the MP’s career and campaigns they had worked on.
Wragg, a senior Tory figure who is vice-chairman of the influential 1922 Committee, reportedly told The Times he sent details of several MPs, their staff members and a political journalist after sharing intimate photos of himself to the user.
The newspaper reports it approached the senior Tory MP after speaking to alleged victims who believed he was involved.
He said: “They had compromising things on me. They wouldn’t leave me alone. They would ask for people. I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. He’s manipulated me and now I’ve hurt other people.”
The Times goes on to report that two more MPs - whose identities are not known - responded to the messages by sending an explicit photo of themselves.
The honeytrap sexting scam has been described as “spear phishing”, a type of cyber attack that targets specific groups.
Spear phishing involves scammers pretending to be trusted senders in order to steal personal or sensitive information.
What has the reaction been?
Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the “revelations” that William Wragg had been blackmailed into sharing colleagues’ phone numbers were “incredibly concerning”.
She added: “I’m very concerned about what seems to have happened in this incident, especially about MPs’ telephone numbers being passed on to unknown sources.
Hunt said: "The lesson here for all MPs is that they need to be very careful about cybersecurity, and indeed it is the lesson for members of the public as well, because this is something that we are all having to face in our daily lives.”
Treasury minister Gareth Davies said the reports of the sexting scam were “extremely troubling”.
He told Times Radio that Wragg’s actions were “very serious”, adding: “Will has recognised the seriousness and apologised. People do make mistakes, of course they do.”
Labour MP Jess Phillips questioned Wragg’s judgement. She wrote on X: “I'm at a genuine loss, who when approached by a total stranger sends them nude images, when they are not an MP, let alone when they are.”
Her Labour colleague Rosie Duffield responded: “And why would any MP, especially given all our security awareness, give out colleagues' phone details without their permission?!”
Tory MP Bob Seely was more sympathetic, telling BBC Newsnight he speculated the “gay honeytrap” could be Russian as it was “crude” but admitted he did not know who was behind it.
Seely added: “This is not the first, I found out last week that my office was targeted by the Chinese a couple of years ago. I’m afraid to say this is part and parcel of modern political life whether cyber attacks, honey traps or phishing of some kind or other.”
Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has confirmed the parliamentary security department is investigating and, in a letter to MPs, urged anyone with information to “come forward … and share the details and any concerns.” Security advice has been sent to all MPs and MPs staff.
A Parliamentary spokesperson said: “Parliament takes security extremely seriously and works closely with government 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.
“We are encouraging anyone affected who has concerns to contact the Parliamentary Security Department.”
Yahoo News has contacted Wragg for comment.
