Keith Vaz

I assume you don't know anything about Vaz's relationship with his wife. For all I (and probably you) know, she knows about it and turns a blind eye.

Over the years, I've often been amazed at the 'agreements' some couples have. Some of them admit to doing things in private, which I certainly wouldn't want to do, but that's their business.

That was re your post at 17:41.

firecracker me too.

Whether it's legal or not I don't think this is how an MP should conduct himself. He should be ashamed of himself exposing his wife and children to this, bad enough if your husband is caught using prostitutes but rent boys, sick in my opinion.

Surely he has a cast iron reason excuse for his actions: he was doing research for his committee's inquiry into prostitution.?

Sex between two consenting adults of whatever gender is not illegal, even if money is involved and however embarrassing it might be. The involvement of poppers is different.

I am amazed that some think its OK for an MP to hire rent boys and pop poppers as long as he does it behind closed doors.

annie I couldn't really be bothered to get into splitting hairs, but I think if someone in a such a high profile position is guilty of "serious impropriety" the public has a right to know.

So where do you draw the line between absolute privacy and privacy Grannyknot?

This intrusion of privacy was carried out by a newspaper which hacked telephones

...one loses the right to absolute privacy, annie. With that I agree.

I think of my grandad, who was a local councillor in the town I grew up in. He truly was a pillar of the community.

It always amazes me in cases like this that the wife stands by her man! None of us know what goes on in other people's relationships but I wouldn't stay in these circumstances!

I csnnot agree that on becoming an MP one loses the right to privacy , and the act of buggery was filmed in his own flat , this is wrong in my opinion, if he had visited a brothel then different.

That was to AB.

So the Guardian says (about halfway down in the article):

www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2016/sep/05/why-the-sunday-mirror-was-justified-in-exposing-keith-vaz?CMP=twt_gu

This event is a classic tabloid sting.

The sex workers could well have recognised him and gone to the press but there is no way a major tabloid, with its army of lawyers, would have printed such a story based only on some one-off phone footage and texts.

Thank you Grannyknot, so he had met the men before

I don't think the newspaper set this up, so it wasn't a newspaper sting. One of the male prostitutes recognised him (although he said his name was Jim and he was a washing machine salesman) and sussing there'd be cash in selling the story, they subsequently approached the newspaper.

If he broke the law he should be charged. I expect he will stand down from the select committee, if he remains an MP this will be the choice of his constituency

Pity newspapers can't be sued for stings, they get such information by setting up the situation.

I am amazed Vaz thought he was in no danger of kiss and tell

As chairman of a HoC Committee looking at the laws governing prostitution he will, it appears, bring expert knowledge as a consumer of the service under investigation, BUT he could be susceptible to accusations of conflicts of interest, and he could be open to blackmail if he was involved in the purchase of illegal drugs.

Newmark didn't resign immediately as a result of the scandal, but stood down at the next election.

Other MPs who were caught up in scandals who didn't resign immediately are John Whittingdale and Stephen Crabb. Neither have been included in May's cabinet, so I guess they've been pushed out by the back door.

Liam Fox did resign after the Adam Werritty and fraud scandals, but he seems to have been rehabilitated.

Where's Jeffrey Archer when you need him to write a 'novel' (any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental) about what goes on in the corridors of power?

Surely it would be up to his constituency party who nominated him for their MP to decide what to do, if anything?

I had to Google Newmark as couldn't remember anything about him - also can't remember if many on GN called for his resignation.

That was in reply to Riverwalk

Brooks Newmark - 2014

I would say the same no matter which party . I think Boris did harm to the country with his lies about how much money would flow into the NHS if we voted out, people believed him.

An MP having an affair does not affect the country . All this talk of sleaze, one would think this was a country with high moral standards , it isn't