Hunt praises MP's apology over dating app incident

The chancellor has praised a Tory MP for apologising after he admitted he gave other MPs' personal phone numbers to a man on a dating app.

Jeremy Hunt said William Wragg had been "courageous" in telling the Times he was sorry for the "hurt" he had caused.

Mr Wragg told the newspaper he had been "scared" because the individual had "compromising things on me".

It follows reports at least 12 men in political circles received unsolicited messages, raising security concerns.

The men are reported to include a government minister, advisers and political journalists based at Westminster.

Some had been sent naked images, and two MPs are reported to have responded by sending images of themselves.

One former MP has told the BBC he was targeted by someone calling themselves "Charlie", who claimed - wrongly - that he had previously worked for Mr Wragg.

BBC News has also seen similar messages sent from the same number to a political journalist.

The BBC has attempted to contact Mr Wragg, who is standing down as an MP at the general election, for comment.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Hunt said the reports were a "great cause for concern" but Mr Wragg had "given a courageous and fulsome apology".

He added that the reports should be a "lesson" to both MPs and members of the public that they need to be careful about cyber-security.

"This is something we are all having to face in our daily lives," he added.

The incident has raised concerns about so-called spearphishing attacks, in which emails or messages are used to obtain an individual's sensitive information.

Leicestershire Police say they were investigating one of the cases, after it was reported to them last month.

The Conservatives' whips office - which upholds party discipline - said it could not comment while there was an ongoing police investigation.

Mr Wragg, who is vice chair of the influential 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs, told the Times said he had sent intimate pictures of himself to a man he met on gay dating app Grindr.

"They had compromising things on me. They wouldn't leave me alone," added the 36-year-old, who has been MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester since 2015.

"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.

"I got chatting to a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures. We were meant to meet up for drinks, but then didn't. Then he started asking for numbers of people. I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesn't work now.

"I've hurt people by being weak. I was scared. I'm mortified. I'm so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt."

Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the incident was "incredibly concerning," and the police investigation "should be able to take its course".

She declined to offer a view on whether Mr Wragg, who also chairs the Commons constitutional affairs committee, should resign, adding it was a "question for the Conservatives".

The Metropolitan Police said it was in contact with Leicestershire Police and Parliament's security team following reports of unsolicited messages being sent to MPs.

"We will assess any reports made to us accordingly," the force added.

A House of Commons spokesperson said it took security "extremely seriously" and provided MPs and staff with "tailored advice" to make them aware of risks online.

"We are encouraging anyone affected who has concerns to contact the Parliamentary Security Department," they added.