Who is Neil Parish? MP resigns after admitting watching porn in House of Commons

The Tory MP has had the Conservative whip suspended while he is being investigated.

Tiverton and Honiton MP Neil Parish has announced he will resign after he admitted to watching pornography in the House of Commons chamber.

The 65-year-old had initially vowed to continue as MP for Tiverton and Honiton but on Saturday bowed to pressure to step down amid widespread outrage.

Mr Parish, a farmer, admitted to the BBC on Saturday that he watched adult material twice in Parliament, calling it a "moment of madness".

Who is Neil Parish?

The MP was born in Somerset and attended school near Bridgwater, and began working on his family farm as a teenager.

He first stood for election in the 1997 general election, when he stood for Torfaen in Wales, but was defeated by the Labour candidate.

Two years later, he was elected to the European Parliament representing the South West.

Parish was elected in 2007

2007 election

In 2007, he was elected MP for Tiverton and Honiton, with 27,614 votes. He won with a majority of 9,320 votes.

The seat had previously been held by Conservative Angela Browning who was retiring.

Where does he stand?

In 2013, he voted against same sex marriage and, the following year, voted against making same sex marriage available to armed forces personnel outside the UK.

Prior to 2016, Parish campaigned for the UK to remain in the European Union, but supported Brexit following the referendum result.

Much of his political career has focused on rural affairs and animal welfare, and he is currently Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

In 2017, he called for tougher punishments for animal cruelty offences.