This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A government minister has resigned following allegations that he sent two female constituents “depraved” sexual messages.



Andrew Griffiths, the Conservative MP for Burton and Uttoxeter, whose wife gave birth to their first child in April, said in a statement he was “deeply ashamed” and was “seeking professional help to ensure it never happens again”.



Griffiths, who once worked as Theresa May’s chief of staff, is accused of sending 2,000 messages including lewd comments to a 28-year-old barmaid and her friend on social media over a three-week period.



The 47-year-old referred to himself as “Daddy”, suggested renting a flat so they could meet for sex, and asked them to send him explicit photos and videos, the Sunday Mirror reported.



Imogen Treharne told the newspaper that after meeting him online, the MP “didn’t want to speak to me about anything other than sex”.



She said: “I wanted him to be a nice guy but by the end I felt dirty. I felt like I was being used for this wealthy man’s gratification.”



One of the messages, printed by the newspaper, read: “Take off the bra and panties ... you’ve got Daddy in a frenzy.”

Griffiths, who helped set up the Women2Win campaign to help get more female MPs elected, said in a statement to the Sunday Mirror he was deeply ashamed at his behaviour “which has caused untold distress to my wife and family” and also “deep embarrassment to the prime minister and the government I am so proud to serve”.



He continued: “Following discussions today [Saturday] with the chief whip I have referred myself to the Conservative party’s code of conduct procedures. I entirely accept that pending this investigation it is right the whip is withdrawn.”



He added: “I do not seek to excuse my behaviour and will be seeking professional help to ensure it never happens again. In time I hope to earn the forgiveness of all those who put their trust in me and that I have let down so terribly.”



The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said Griffiths had stepped down for personal reasons.



Griffiths, who was elected in 2010, was appointed to the small business role in January, having been a government whip from July 2016. He led the government’s response to the Hampton-Alexander review into gender equality in FTSE 350 companies and also launched a campaign to encourage more fathers to take paternity leave.