Neil Parish has confirmed he plans to resign as an MP amid an investigation into allegations he had been watching pornography in the Commons.  

Mr Parish revealed he had watched pornography twice while in the chamber and called it a "moment of madness" in an interview with the BBC. 

He revealed he had been looking at tractors before accidentally coming across explicit videos the first time it happened.

"The situation was that - funnily enough it was tractors I was looking at," he said.

 I did get into another website that had a very similar name and I watched it for a bit which I shouldn't have done. But my crime - biggest crime - is that on another occasion I went in a second time.

"That was deliberate... that was sitting waiting to vote on the side of the chamber."

The Conservatives suspended Mr Parish on Friday, three days after two female MPs claimed he was seen watching explicit videos.

The 65-year-old had initially said he would carry on performing his "duties" as MP for Tiverton and Honiton after referring himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone.

Mr Parish had claimed he would only consider his position after the conclusion of the inquiry. 

Asked by reporters at his Somerset farmhouse if he opened something in error in the Commons, he said: “I did, but let the inquiry look at that.”

It comes after senior Tories had called for his immediate resignation, including the longest-standing female MP Karen Bradley. 

Ms Bradley, who chairs the Procedure Committee, said she “would urge him not to come into Parliament” while under investigation and was clear he must quit if found guilty.

“I’m struggling to find an excuse, I’m struggling to find a reason that might mean it was acceptable, but let’s let the investigation take its course,” she told Channel 4 News.

Meanwhile safeguarding minister Rachel Maclean said whether he would resign during the investigations was a "matter for him". 

Speaking to Times Radio she said:  “I want to be clear, he is not continuing his business as normal, he’s under investigation, and I’m confident that the appropriate measures will be put in place to safeguard any of his constituents, particularly women and girls.”