LONDON, April  29, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Britain's ruling Conservative party on

Friday suspended one of its MPs pending an investigation into claims he watched
pornography on his mobile phone in the House of Commons chamber.

The identification of MP Neil Parish, 65, ends days of speculation since
the allegation emerged on Tuesday, amid accusations of a misogynistic
environment in parliament.

"Having spoken to the Chief Whip this afternoon, Neil Parish MP is
reporting himself to the Standards Committee of the House of Commons," said a
spokeswoman for Chief Whip Chris Heaton-Harris, who is in charge of party
discipline.

"Mr Parish has been suspended from the Conservative whip pending the
outcome of that investigation," she said, meaning he has been temporarily
suspended from the party.

Parish, a farmer who chairs the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Committee, was questioned about the porn allegation on Wednesday, before he had
been publicly identified.

"I think the whips office will do a thorough investigation and we will wait
and see that result and I think from that then the decision will have to be
made what action will be taken," Parish told GB News.

He then denied there was a large cultural problem in parliament.

"We've got some 650 members of parliament in what is a very intense area,"
Parish said.

"We are going to get people that step over the line. I don't think there's
necessarily a huge culture here but I think it does have to be dealt with and
dealt with seriously and that's what the whips will do."

At least 56 MPs, including three ministers, are currently being probed over allegations of sexual misconduct by parliament's own complaints office.

The Conservative party has been accused of misogyny after the Mail on
Sunday last week quoted unnamed Tory MPs accusing the deputy leader of the
opposition Labour party, Angela Rayner, of trying to distract Prime Minister
Boris Johnson with her legs.