‘Tractor Porn’ Scandal Ex-MP Neil Parish Says He Wants To Run For Parliament In Next Election

A former Tory MP who quit in shame after admitting to having watched pornography in the House of Commons is looking to make an unlikely return to politics, he confirmed today.

Neil Parish, 66, resigned from his seat in Tiverton and Honiton in May after confirming he had seen dirt on his phone while sitting on the famous green benches.

The Tories then lost their previously secure seat to the Liberal Democrats, in one of several embarrassing electoral defeats last year.

But the father of two Mr Parish, whose friends said he was trying to research tractors when he stumbled upon adult material, told Times Radio Today he had “unfinished business” in politics.

And he threatened to run as an independent if his former party didn’t vote for him.

“The seat that comes very close to my farm is the (new) seat in Tiverton and West Somerset. I would very much like to consider standing there in the next general election,” he said.

Neil Parish, 66, resigned from his seat in Tiverton and Honiton in May after confirming he had seen dirt on his phone while sitting on the famous green benches.

The Tories then lost their previously secure seat to Liberal Democrat Richard Foord, in one of several embarrassing electoral defeats last year

“I will offer my services to the (Conservative) party – whether the party wants me or not is another matter…

“Then I have the opportunity to also run as an independent … there’s a certain draw for me to actually have a chance as an independent.”

Mr Parish, who lives on a family farm in Somerset, ended his 12-year tenure as MP in May after admitting he had twice seen pornography in the Commons chamber.

Allies claimed they were looking online for “Dominator” combines when he first came across an adult site spotted by other Tory MPs in the chamber with him.

Following Mr Parish’s resignation, the Tories lost a subsequent by-election in Tiverton and Honiton to the Liberal Democrats.

The Lib Dems ousted the largest majority in by-election history, 24,239, to win the Devon constituency by a majority of more than 6,000.

At the time, Mr Parish ruled out running again as a Conservative candidate, adding: “I don’t think they would have me.”

The former leader of the House of Commons’ Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has previously revealed how police “kindly” confiscated his shotguns to prevent him from shooting himself in the wake of his political scandal.

Mr Foord told MailOnline: “Conservatives got a message last June from people in this part of Devon who no longer wanted to be taken for granted.

“Regardless of who they pick as the candidate for the next election, the choice will be simple: the West Country continues to be ignored by conservative Conservatives, or a positive shift for the Liberal Democrats.”