The Gaurdian

The force has said there was nothing to suggest at the time that the messages were part of a wider pattern

The Metropolitan police first had reports of unsolicited messages targeting a number of MPs, staff and journalists in Westminster last year, but officers failed to notify politicians.

After the former Conservative MP William Wragg said he was manipulated into giving the personal phone numbers of colleagues to a man he met on a dating app, Scotland Yard said it was working with other police forces, alongside its own investigation, amid concerns many other MPs could have been targeted.

Tory MP resigns committee roles after apology for role in parliamentary sexting scandal

The Conservative MP who divulged colleagues’ personal phone numbers to someone he met on a dating app as part of a parliamentary sexting scandal has stepped down from two Commons roles, it has been reported.

William Wragg has resigned as chair of the Commons’ public administration and constitutional affairs committee and also quit his post as the vice-chair of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers after admitting to giving the information to a man he met, according to reports.

Message comes as pressure builds on Tories to take disciplinary action against MP William Wragg

• UK politics – latest updates

Downing Street has urged MPs to be cautious when responding to unsolicited messages, after the “spear-phishing” attack that targeted more than a dozen MPs, staff and journalists working in Westminster.

Number 10 issued the warning on Monday morning, days after two police forces launched an investigation into what is being described as an attempted “honeytrap”.

The ‘senior Tory’ has issued a self-flagellating apology, but he still has the whip – and Sunak’s low bar sinks lower

Where to start with Westminster’s latest scandal, which – without wishing to speculate on spoilers – I suggest you formally label as “developing”? Blowing his own cover in it is William Wragg, MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester, and chair of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee. Aged 36, William is described as a “senior Tory” on the basis of something or other – possibly his predilection for calling for other politicians to resign on moral grounds. Mind you, these days being an MP since 2015 means you’ve seen five prime ministers. If anything, you’re a Tory grandee.

Anyway, here follow the bare bones of what Wragg seems to have got himself mixed up in. Having connected with someone on Grindr, he began an exchange that led, in his own words, to his correspondent getting “compromising things on me”. Instead of going immediately to the police, as far as we know Wragg instead opted to start obliging his tormentor with the numbers of other MPs, Westminster staff and political journalists. These new targets were duly sent photos fairly early on in their own exchanges with their mystery correspondent, and – incredibly and yet entirely credibly – at least two MPs then responded by sending explicit pictures themselves.

Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Party source says William Wragg will not face suspension for now after giving MPs’ numbers to Grindr app contact

• UK politics – latest updates

A senior Conservative MP will keep the whip while the party investigates his role in a sexting scandal.

A Conservative source said William Wragg, the Tory MP for Hazel Grove, would not be suspended from the party whip for now amid concerns that he is also a victim.

William Wragg says he was pressed for colleagues’ details after sharing compromising photos of himself

A senior Conservative MP has reportedly admitted to giving out the personal phone numbers of colleagues to a person he met on a dating app.

William Wragg told the Times that he gave the information after he had sent intimate pictures of himself, saying he was “scared” and “mortified”.

At least a dozen people sent suspicious messages, with senior figures suggesting foreign state could be culprit

A police investigation has been launched after MPs were apparently targeted in a “spear-phishing” attack, in what security experts believe could be an attempt to compromise parliament.

A police force said it had started an inquiry after receiving a complaint from an MP who was sent a number of unsolicited messages last month.

Victims of Pegasus hacking will be notified and criminal proceedings could be brought against former officials

Poland has launched an investigation into its previous government’s use of the controversial spyware Pegasus, with a parliamentary inquiry under way and the possibility of criminal charges being brought against former government officials in future.

Adam Bodnar, Poland’s new justice minister, told the Guardian that in coming months the government would notify people who were targeted with Pegasus. Under Polish law, they would then have the possibility of seeking financial compensation, and becoming party to potential criminal proceedings.

Datacentres are part of Ireland’s vision of itself as a tech hub. There are now more than 80, using vast amounts of electricity. Have we entrusted our memories to a system that might destroy them? By Jessica Traynor