Honeytrap - malevolent forces at work?

Marina Hyde piece in The Guardian:

As for the possible perpetrator or perpetrators, we don’t know anything much at all. Leicester police are reported to be investigating malicious communications against an unnamed parliamentarian. Hard to know what’s the more depressing: the rash of MPs now declaring reflexively of such a basic scam “Oh yeah, this’ll be a hostile state actor”; or, if it does turn out to have been a hostile state actor, the fact that this low-rent exercise was all they needed to do to hook in politicians. Master spycraft this was not.

It should be said that both the Conservatives and Labour have individuals caught up in this current story. But one thing worth wondering about is the various levels of kompromat-gathering that the political parties themselves indulge in, from the fabled dark arts of the whips’ offices to what is euphemistically known as “opposition research”. Does this ever stray into spear-phishing? We don’t really know, the entire area of oppo research being the sort of thing the parties don’t like to talk about.

Well, some of them don’t mind. In an unfortunate coincidence of timing, last weekend the Reform leader, Richard Tice, issued what he called a “special Easter message” for Tory MP Jonathan Gullis (a man one always fears is so stupid he has to have his own phone number leaked to him every day). “Given the multiple bits of embarrassing personal information we have on you,” Tice posted in full public view on X last weekend, “I suggest you pipe down on your attacks on me.” Mm.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/05/mp-blackmail-william-wragg-tory-apology-rishi-sunak

vegansrock

Surely it’s not just about being on a dating app though is it? It’s sharing others details and sending explicit photos.

The mucky photos are the least of their problems. Besides there banking details, passwords, friends and family details what government details has he got on his phone.
They will also have access to any notes he May written on his phone. These are messages not connected to the internet.

welbeck

who are MPs' employers ?
they are not civil servants.
doubt they are subject to that vetting, except maybe informally, by parties' selection committees.

So that explains a lot of MP behaviour then. They are not accountable in the same way
What a shit show!

I don’t believe there is any evidence that other personal data has been compromised.

This further Guardian piece suggests this is more likely to be a rogue political insider who enjoyed gathering compromising material on their colleagues.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/05/who-is-behind-westminster-whatsapp-honeytrap-stings-mp-william-wragg

It matters not that he is gay, it does matter that he's stupid enough to go on Grindr and then to save his reputation, gives out information of friends and colleagues rather than go to the police to say he thinks he's being blackmailed. What a stupid and weak person he is. How can anyone with any integrity defend him? He's an idiot.

Not integrity but compassion

The Leicestershire MP who reported to the police has now explained what happened to him. Looks like he acted absolutely correctly, hopefully the images he took will help the police identify where it’s coming from.
news.sky.com/story/tory-mp-luke-evans-says-he-was-victim-of-cyber-flashing-and-malicious-communications-13108627

Are people on X and Facebook? (I am on both) would you like me to describe the issues around safeguarding they have both experienced. Facebook was originally set up to rate the sexual attractiveness of college students. Mumsnet had a considerable data breach some time ago. Yes he should have gone to the police but I think there are wider issues than this.

Casdon

The Leicestershire MP who reported to the police has now explained what happened to him. Looks like he acted absolutely correctly, hopefully the images he took will help the police identify where it’s coming from.
news.sky.com/story/tory-mp-luke-evans-says-he-was-victim-of-cyber-flashing-and-malicious-communications-13108627

If photos were sent to him I’m sure the sender would use a photo location editor.

Galaxy

Are people on X and Facebook? (I am on both) would you like me to describe the issues around safeguarding they have both experienced. Facebook was originally set up to rate the sexual attractiveness of college students. Mumsnet had a considerable data breach some time ago. Yes he should have gone to the police but I think there are wider issues than this.

And don’t download the Temu app. That one is bad for gathering data.

What sort of people do we have as MP's? Are they completely devoid of common sense? I've little sympathy for anyone who is in a position of power who puts others in danger to save their own skin. Wragg only came clean because he knew he'd be found out. The only reason colleagues are sticking with him is they don't want another bye election. Does anyone care he's gay? I certainly don't but I do care that he's so naive to open himself to blackmail.

It's not just MPs who seem to be receiving these emails/texts.

I don't usually check my junk folder, but I looked at it today and I have an email which includes the following:

"You truly enjoy checking out porn websites and watching dirty videos, while having a lot of kinky fun.

I RECORDED YOU (through your camera) SATISFYING YOURSELF!"

Hmmm! Not me! However, if I had been looking at porn or masturbating online (which isn't a crime as far as I know) and especially if I were a public figure, I guess I would be worried.

several people, men, have been killed or seriously assaulted through connecting via grindr.

This isn’t just gay MPs, and isn’t just Grindr though, if you read the account of what happened to Luke Evan’s. He was sent images of a woman, via WhatsApp.

Sorry the apostrophe in Evans was an autocorrect, not my bad grammar.

Women are assaulted every day through meeting men in pubs. They are frequently assaulted in pubs.

Wragg has thrown several colleagues under a bus alright - and if they too have "something to hide" then doubtless they also will be targets for blackmail. How far across Whitehall can this potentially go?

If a hostile government is behind this then the Official Secrets Act will count for nothing and it could blow up into another John Profumo scandal. Our current crop of politicos are self-serving and don't appear to have any use for the principles of integrity and honour.

Ha!

It certainly is getting more and more curious as it unfolds.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sorrry, wrong thread. I'll ask GNHQ to move it.

If he was prepared to put friends and colleagues at risk to save his own skin what else was he prepared to do? He's got access to all sorts of information as well as people. This didn't happen last week I understand it happened last year but it's taken until now for him to own up. We do seem to have pretty appalling MPs ATM.

There are gay sites and then there is Grindr. It’s known as the bargain basement of gay sites. If you want the dark side of gay sites, that’s where you go.

If you are gay and in public service or a celebrity it is essential you are honest and open and have stable relationships.

It’s not acceptable to associate with rent boys (prostitutes) or have multiple partners, if that is your lifestyle, stay out of the public eye. Sooner or later you will be blackmailed to get financial or political advantage.

Considering that women MPs are far fewer and because of the difficulty of being chosen, probably on average of a higher calibre than their male colleagues. never the less both Diane Abbott, Teresa Ferrier and * Christine Rees* have been suspended during this Parliament. Teresa Ferrier's case was particulalry egregious because despite admitting an offence under the COVID regulations - two long train journeys when she had reason to beleive or knew she had COVID, she absolutely refused to resign until forced to by her constituents.

Women are lessprone to sexual offences but bullying, putting people's lives at risk, and just generally bein an unguided missile seem to be well within their capabilities.

This appears to be a sordid tale of blackmail, initiated by the stupidity of an openly gay MP searching for a relationship via Grindr, who willingly exchanged intimate photos with an unknown contact which were then used to gain access access to other MPs. Not a victim.
Wragg was not set up; he was responsible for his own actions and if he had a shred of integrity he would have resigned some months ago, having already declared his intention of standing down in November 2022.
Likewise, if Sunak had a shred of integrity he would have sacked him some months ago when investigations were started. But he was a useful yes-man.