A BRITISH politician who is to step down after admitting watching pornography on his phone in the House of Commons has claimed he was trying to look at a tractor website.
Neil Parish, the Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton in Devon, originally refused to step down when the accusations first emerged, saying he would await the outcome of an inquiry into the matter.
However, after having the party whip removed on Friday, the 65-year-old former farmer said yesterday that he will now resign, triggering a by-election.
'It was tractors'
Parish revealed his change of heart in an interview with BBC South West, during which he admitted to twice watching porn in parliament.
However, while he said the second occasion was intentional, he claimed the first time was an accident while trying to look at tractors.
"The situation was that funnily enough, it was tractors I was looking at,” he told BBC South West.
"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."
'Tractors', 'John Deere' and 'Massey Ferguson' were all trending on Twitter following Parish's explanationParish's excuse drew ridicule online, with many making jokes at the MP's expense.
At one point on Saturday afternoon, the terms 'tractors', 'John Deere' and 'Massey Ferguson' were in the top 10 trends in Britain on Twitter as people poked fun at his bizarre excuse.
Even celebrities, including actor Stephen Fry and Irish comedian Chris O'Dowd, joined in the ridicule.
It starts out with harmless pictures of flatbed pickups, then it’s tractors, but the trouble is - before you know it you’re onto combine harvesters. The threshing, the bailing …
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) May 1, 2022
He’s going to regret that tractor nonsense. Now he can’t go even go back to his old life of hanging around tractors because all the locals will be wondering the same thing.. when’s he gonna fuck it?
— chris o'dowd (@BigBoyler) April 30, 2022
“While attempting to purchase a Massey Ferguson 2245 4WD I inadvertently stumbled across a website called Extraordinary Buttholes. Once I realised my mistake I immediately logged off, twenty minutes later. This should put the matter to bed.” pic.twitter.com/1RxlGVRoca
— Dom Joly (@domjoly) April 30, 2022
I was trying to look at tractors in parliament but accidentally googled hardcore pornography pic.twitter.com/pzOXoq5t15
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) April 30, 2022
His wife has sent him a John Deere letter. https://t.co/rvuiwlkbz1
— David Quantick (@quantick) April 30, 2022
NEW: Neil Parish’s search history has been released. pic.twitter.com/gW0uLFKAkZ
— Michael Fry (@BigDirtyFry) April 30, 2022
Did Neil Parish watch the full tractor porn film or just look at the trailer?
— Matt Chorley (@MattChorley) April 30, 2022
Neil Parish’s resignation interview comes across as a sketch from Little Britain:
‘Funnily enough it was tractors I was looking at.. I did get into another website that had a very similar name’ pic.twitter.com/msdQcTqkaB
— George Aylett (@GeorgeAylett) April 30, 2022
Neil Parish resigning because of tractors is a conspiracy driven by big farmer
— Toby Earle 🇺🇦 (@TobyonTV) April 30, 2022
The accusations that an MP had watched porn in the Commons emerged at a meeting of the Conservative 2022 group in Westminster on Tuesday night.
Two women said they had seen a male colleague watching pornography.
One added that she had also seen him watching adult content during a committee meeting.
It was revealed on Friday that Parish was the MP at the centre of the accusations.
