to think that if I shared an explicit picture of myself with a stranger and then they used that to blackmail to release client information, I would be sacked?

[cakeorwine]

I guess people know what we are talking about.

William Wragg: Jeremy Hunt praises MP's apology over dating app incident - BBC News

If you send an explicit picture of yourself to a stranger, you are asking for danger.

If I did that and I was blackmailed into releasing personal information on other people, I would be sacked,

But hey, it's an accident. Nothing to see here.

And as for MPs who then were contacted by a stranger and then sent their own explicit pictures, what is there to say?

The second you knowingly make yourself vulnerable to blackmail you demonstrate yourself to be unsuited to public office.

Pretty much everyone is potentially vulnerable to blackmail. We all have things we'd rather not be shared with the newspapers. The importance is how we deal with it when pushed.

Expecting politicians (or anyone tbh) to be so squeaky clean that they've got nothing the newspapers could publish to embarrass them is expecting the impossible.

I've just read that two other MPs who were contacted by the blackmailer also sent compromising pictures of themselves. Actually WTAF? What's wrong with our MPs?

They've all been to parties with Boris who has probably got compromising photos of himself in every country in the world's vaults. We've entered an era where our MP's have been invincible after 14 years of scamming the public out of millions and they're about to lose that power. They are all shitting bricks at what might come out when the election campaigns start in earnest. Also we're currently not standing up for much on the global stage, possibly partly because so many MP's have exposed themselves. Maybe we have realised we need to pick some sides which might have consequences for the Willy Wagglers amongst them.

This isn't the point at all. He gave out confidential information about elected officials.
It doesn't matter if you're embarrassed about gay sex, clown porn, liking Mrs Brown's Boys or supporting Manchester United - you don't compromise others, potentially including the whole nation. It's the most obvious resignation issue ever and anyone excusing it is missing the point.

I think we're now in an era where people should absolutely 100% not be held to ransom over nude photos either sent to someone they are in a relationship with, or for personal purposes, or sent when they are not in a relationship. If they are doing nothing illegal, or objectively an issue then who cares. There should be no concern that a newspaper should pay attention to them. There should be no concern that the public should judge them for it. There should be no concern that any family member would even consider opening them. Same as revenge porn.

I think we are beyond that point.

If you wouldn't judge as responsible an MP who had a one night stand who was photographed without their consent then the same should apply here.

The issue here is the blackmailer. The person sharing or threatening to share without consent. They are the problem.

Yes, incredible incompetence and irresponsibility. TBF, I think he probably would be 'pushed', if he hadn't already announced that he was 'jumping': he is one of many Tory MPs, who is standing down at the forthcoming election.

But it's incredibly stupid behaviour for a grown adult (well, it would be stupid in a teenager), let alone an elected MP.

And then those two who reacted by sending their own dick pics!

Tory MPs may talk all the time about common sense, but they don't seem to have any!

Being an mp he should be held to an even higher standard of behaviour than a member of the public. But as always seems to happen the sleazy tories cover up, deny, minimise rather than show an ounce of integrity. This government is a perfect shitstorm. Even my life long tory voting (rich) friends have said they can’t vote for them in the coming election.

Obviously not everyone shares your view or the blackmailer would have had no success. Yes, the problem is the blackmailer but the other problem is the reaction of leaking personal information in response to it. Which is imo a sackable offense.

We should be beyond that. I agree

But clearly the MP felt that leaking of the intimate pictures could cause him embarrassment or else he wouldn't have given into the blackmail and given the information they wanted.

So why would you give a stranger intimate pictures which, if released, would cause you embarrassment?

It's a massive lack of judgement.

I think this whole story might be a dead-cat strategy because what we've been told makes no sense at all.
WW has said he is going to stand down at the next election. He's only in his 30s so young enough to rebuild his career or even come back into politics when the Tories ae on the up again. He's openly gay. I wonder if he's taken the hit for someone higher up the chain or the story is worse than what we've been told.

If it is a dead-cat strategy, it's working well. Everyone is talking about morals and dick pics and blackmail and MPs being stupid rather than wondering if there is far more going on than what we've been told.

Of course it isn't victim blaming

I agree. I think he is basically a decent guy who made a mistake and should have reported it. I don't think giving out phone numbers is that bad. Not as if he gave our nuclear secrets to Putin.

He’s my MP and has been totally useless since getting elected.

I have no problem with sending consensual pics, although it isn’t something I’d do as who knows where they’d end up (and I’m not an MP!) but if you’re an MP surely you’d think twice?

He’s not a foolish teen, he’s a grown man with a high profile career who sent intimate pictures to a total stranger. When that stranger turned out to be a blackmailer, he didn’t go to the police but instead shared private information with the blackmailer.

So much poor judgement means he’s unfit to be an MP and should resign.

Because it's a fairly normal part of sexual activity for young people, particularly gay men?

Given other phone numbers, a further two men also shared explicit images.

All sexual activity involves intimacy which lays you open to bad faith actors. I've mentioned revenge porn a couple of times.

If engaging in this sexual activity is 'reckless' and MPs should avoid it, where should the line be drawn?

What has been interesting me is how this will play in already vulnerable Blue wall constituencies, where the Tories are already struggling.

https://redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/latest-blue-wall-voting-intention-31-march-2024/

Somehow I can't imagine that typical Shire conservatives are going to think that it is normal to send intimate pictures of oneself, and Sunak's inability to sack him, is in my view likely to convince a few more that they aren't going to vote Tory.

But if it is such a normal activity @noblegiraffe , and I can believe it is, why the embarrassment? Ok, I realise you'd rather the world didn't see a photo of your dick but surely it's not the end of the world. They wouldn't have been published in the established media anyway. And more to the point, did he really think that the person would go away if he gave them a few people's phone numbers? Not to mention, that one of the people that Charlie/Abi contacted said there's no way that WW would have his phone number. I smell a dead rat...

I can of course see why it would be embarrassing if people saw the pics but it's pretty embarrassing that they exist and you've been so stupid as to send them to a third party who you've never met and then sent the blackmailer other people's numbers. Why not call the blackmailers bluff? I just can't believe it but who knows?

This thread seems to agree that dick pics are blackmail-worthy material 🤷‍♀️

Should he have given out phone numbers when he was being blackmailed? No, of course not, he should have gone to the police/whips.

If you wouldn't judge as responsible an MP who had a one night stand who was photographed without their consent then the same should apply here.

It shouldn’t. He had no idea who he was sending those pictures to. What if it had been a minor? That’s a criminal offence and he really didn’t know he wasn’t committing it. You’re missing the crucial difference here, despite it being pointed out numerous times - he wasn’t photographed without his consent, he took and sent the pictures. The agency was his.

He felt they were blackmail worthy material - and yet he sent them.

He had no idea who he was sending those pictures to. What if it had been a minor?

I think if it went to court and there had been a minor on an 18+ hook-up app, posing as an adult with nothing to say they were underage and a reasonable expectation they were an adult, the court would throw it out?

he wasn’t photographed without his consent, he took and sent the pictures

And this is a normal thing to do as part of sexual activity. It is illegal to use them to blackmail someone.

Loads of people send nudes. Loads of people would be mortified if they were released to the general public.

It's fucking stupid to send pictures to someone that you would worry about being used to blackmail you in the future.

As you said, there are many people who would not care about such photos. But when he was told what someone would do with them, he was worried and gave into blackmail.

He took the pictures. It wasn't subtle hidden cameras. He did it willingly.

If you send a nude picture to a stranger and then they use that to blackmail you, then you are fucking stupid.

Well WW clearly thought they were blackmail material otherwise he wouldn't have given out the contact details.
In my line of work if you'd gone to management and told them someone was trying to blackmail you to give out personal details you'd have given advice and supported but if you'd given out the details you'd have been sacked for gross misconduct and never would never work in Financial Services again.