The Times: British MPs allegedly met by sex workers

British politicians were allegedly met by sex workers at their hotel during a foreign state visit, with concerns that such behavior leaves them open to blackmail, Report informs.

"The bad behavior is quite astonishing," a senior government source told British newspaper The Times. "If a hostile state is lucky they may get photos, and they will make sure they know exactly what has happened. And then they might get something from that."

The sex worker visit may have happened without the Members of Parliament (MPs) knowing in advance, The Times noted.

A separate source also complained to The Times that MP visits to authoritarian countries gave leaders in those countries some legitimacy as "world statesmen with international friends."

The trips result from all-party parliamentary groups (APPG), which allow members of parliament – regardless of party affiliation – to campaign on specific topics, which often leads to visits to foreign states. The groups have no formal system for deciding their membership and usually do not have dedicated work staff.

A standards committee in the House of Commons called for greater regulation and transparency of funding for APPGs, calling for a reduction in the number of groups and arguing the current scale "makes improper access and influence more likely."