MP Damian Green urged to step aside following 'extreme pornography' allegations

Prime Minister Theresa May's deputy Damian Green is being urged to step down following allegations that "extreme porn" was discovered on his computer. Green denied the allegations as "political smears".

First Secretary of State Green denied the allegations of ex-police chief Bob Quick that authorities found pornography on his computer during a raid on his Westminster office in 2008. The senior minister called the claims "completely untrue," the BBC reported.

"This story is completely untrue and comes from a trained and untrustworthy source," Green said on Twitter. He said police never told him that improper material had been found on his parliamentary computer.

A Whitehall inquiry into Green's behaviour has been extended to look into the allegations, according to The Mirror.

Quick is standing by his claims and said he made an appointment to speak with the Cabinet Office, which has launched an inquiry into Green's behaviour.

The senior minister is already the subject of an investigation into claims made last week about inappropriate behaviour with a Tory activist. Green called those allegations "untrue" and "deeply hurtful".

At least two of Green's fellow Tory MPs are calling for Green to give up his ministerial role while he is under investigation. Conservative Heidi Allen urged Green to step aside during the inquiry.

"In...the sort of companies I used to work in, that would be completely normal," Allen told ITV's Peston on Sunday, telling Green: "If you're innocent and you have nothing to worry about, then let the progress take its natural course, and the right will come out in the end."

Fellow Tory MP, Anna Soubry, told BBC1's The Andrew Marr show that Green should have stepped down when the claims regarding the activist were first made, saying the new claims could have been considered a part of that. "Instead we are pretty much having trial by the newspapers. This is not acceptable," she said.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said she "looked forward" to Green clearing his name, The Mirror reported. Rudd, while defending Green's decision to remain on as a minister, has said she believes it is time wrongdoers are cleared out of parliament.

The pornography allegations against Green come amid a growing sexual misconduct scandal in Westminster. On Sunday (5 November), Conservative MP Christopher Pincher resigned as a government whip and referred himself to police following allegations about his conduct by a party activist.

Additional details about allegations against Sir Michael Fallon also emerged on Sunday, the BBC reported. Fallon resigned as defence secretary over his behaviour towards journalist Jane Merrick, who accused him of attempting to kiss her on the lips in 2003.

Meanwhile, Tory MPs Daniel Poulter, Stephen Crabb and Daniel Kawczynski have been referred to the Conservative Party disciplinary committee. Seven Conservative MPs now face investigations or have resigned as allegations continue to spread, The Guardian noted.

The ongoing scandal could prompt a series of by-elections that could possibly affect May's precarious minority government.