Labour suspend party member after arrest over 'honeytrap' scam

Labour have suspended a party member after being informed of an arrest in relation to the 'honeytrap' scam, ITV News understands.

It comes after the Metropolitan Police confirmed on Wednesday morning that a man had been arrested on suspicion of harassment and committing offences under the Online Safety Act following a probe into the 'honeytrap' scandal.

"The arrest relates to an investigation being carried out by the Met’s Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation Team (PLAIT) following reports of unsolicited messages sent to MPs and others," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement after executing an arrest warrant at an address in Islington.

The man was taken into custody where he remains, and the investigation remains ongoing.

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Police launched an investigation in April following reports of a sexting scam, after Tory MP William Wragg said he was blackmailed into sharing fellow MPs' phone numbers.

There was concern that explicit images of him would be leaked if he didn't comply.

The then-MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester said he was “manipulated” into giving the personal details of colleagues to a man he met on gay dating app Grindr after he'd sent intimate pictures of himself.

At least 12 men in Westminster were believed to have been contacted by the individual thought to have blackmailed Wragg.

Wragg gave up the Conservative whip on April 9 following the revelations.

He said he was sorry for his “weakness” in responding, and also resigned from his role leading the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee and as vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee.

Fellow Tory Dr Luke Evans called for a full review of parliament’s system of investigating incidents reported by MPs after he was also targeted.

The unknown scammer is said to have used the aliases “Charlie” and “Abi” while sending flirtatious messages to attempt to coax MPs and other figures in political circles into sending explicit pictures.

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