Mick Hartley

We see how it works.

Tory MP Jamie Wallis was in deep trouble: 

When Jamie Wallis narrowly won his seat as MP for Bridgend during the Conservative landslide in December 2019, he became the first Tory to hold the South Wales constituency since 1983.

His political honeymoon was short-lived, however, and within weeks reports emerged that he was behind a network of companies that his local council, Bridgend, said had been subject to hundreds of trading standards complaints. The council said the companies had been the subject of 20 enforcement visits.

One of his companies, a claims management firm, was prevented from representing customers at employment tribunals following a Ministry of Justice investigation.

Wallis told BuzzFeed News in 2020 that he disputed the figures about enforcement visits and that his former company was taking legal action against the council. The council told The Times that it had received no communication about “potential legal action” since August 2020.

There were also calls by Labour MPs for him to be thrown out of the Conservative Party after it was alleged that a website run by one of his companies promoted a “sugar daddy” service offering struggling students and single parents financial relationships with wealthy “sponsors”.

The site was listed as one of four “recommended resources” on Clean-Break.co.uk, a trading title of Wallis’s company Quickie Divorce. He quit as a director of Quickie Divorce seven days after he was elected as an MP and denied any link to the sugar daddy site.

On top of that there were some sordid sexual goings-on. He was the victim of an attempted blackmail by a former sex partner who had incriminating photos. Then he was supposedly raped by a man he'd hooked up with. And then he fled the scene after his car crashed into a telegraph pole and cut off the internet to a whole village – later claiming he was too scared to hang around and was suffering from PTSD.

Not looking good.

Then, in one bound he was free! He came out as transgender. What a hero! How brave!

Wallis rapidly received public support from fellow MPs. Tom Tugendhat, the Conservative chairman of the foreign affairs select committee, said: “This is a very brave statement.” Andrew Bowie, a Conservative MP, said: “Incredibly brave of you to post this mate. Proud of you. All power to you”.

Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, retweeted Wallis’s statement. Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said: “Sending you love and solidarity from the other side of the Commons. This is hugely courageous of you to share.”

All the way to the top:

Both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged Mr Wallis' statement in the Commons.

With Mr Wallis looking on from the backbenches, Mr Johnson said: "the House stands with you and will give you the support you need to live freely as yourself"….

Tory party chairman Oliver Dowden said: "Proud of my colleague Jamie Wallis.

"As a Conservative family we stand together, and we will support you.

"I hope that your brave statement will help others."

Mike Freer, the Minister for Equalities, acknowledged the "enormously personal" statement in the Commons."I hope I speak for the whole house in sending our support, it is so important that people are free and safe to be themselves whoever they are and whoever they love", he said.

Labour MP Wes Streeting said: "Sending you love and solidarity from the other side of the Commons. This is hugely courageous of you to share."

Plaid Cymru Commons leader Liz Saville Roberts said: "This is an extraordinarily brave message to send out, Jamie. Whatever our politics, public life is unremitting and often merciless. Great respect for your personal courage."

Former MP and chancellor George Osborne said "we comment on the things that have got worse in politics, but many things have got better", tweeting that "if a Tory MP had said this when I was first elected 20 years ago they would have been hounded not applauded and supported".

The LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall said it was sending "solidarity" and "love" to Mr Wallis, calling his decision to come out "brave".

Mind you, he's not actually going to change anything: He'll still look the same and keep the same pronouns. He's just, you know, transgender. And therefore a hero.

[It's an old Family Guy joke]