Theresa May’s chief of staff has apologised for a Twitter “error” that led to him sharing three graphic porn videos publicly online.
Gavin Barwell, the Prime Minister’s most senior aide in Downing Street, regrets the embarrassment caused by the blunder, No.10 sources said.
The former Tory MP deleted his tweet on Wednesday after journalists discovered he had replied to a series of X-rated images and clips depicting “schoolgirls” and their “mum”.
Married father-of-three Barwell, who is paid £140,000 a year to advise the PM, used his Twitter account to reply to an adult-content account @twinkystar_69, which posts graphic videos and pictures.
A Number 10 source said: “Gavin Barwell replied to this tweet, which was in his timeline, in error. He has deleted the reply and regrets the embarrassment this has caused.”
The Twitter reply took place at 9.30pm, but it is unclear whether Barwell was working in Downing Street or elsewhere at the time.
The incident comes just weeks after May’s former deputy Damian Green was forced to stand aside after he was accused of watching porn on his office computer.
Barwell’s Twitter reply only included the handles of various accounts, but it was part of a thread that included porn websites titled ‘Moms Lick Teens’ and ‘Illustrated Interracial’.
It remains unclear how the porn tweets appeared in his timeline, given that he follows no X-rated accounts.
The 46-year-old, who lost his Croydon Central MP seat in the 2017 general election, has a verified Twitter account with more than 22,000 followers.