Culture Secretary John Whittingdale admits relationship with dominatrix

If match.com is missing a promotional strap line, what about saying “Where lonely cabinet members can meet lonely dominatrices?”. According to John Whittingdale, the Culture Secretary, that is precisely what happened to him – a relationship the press knew about, but didn't publish on the understanding that he’s single, is richly qualified for date whoever he likes and updating people on his progress on match.com had not been in the population interest. Bizarrely, the press regulation advocates Hacked Off is accusing the press to be too prudish and thinks it’s a scandal that Whitto had not been humiliated and mocked. A cover-up, it says. We haven’t quite had Hugh Grant demanding the press expose single men’s liaisons with call girls, but that can’t be miles away.

Whittingdale has released this statement to BBC Newsnight who had fewer qualms about adopting the story.

    ‘Between August 2013 and February 2014, I had a relationship with a person that I first met through Match.com. She would have been a similar age and lived all-around me.

    At virtually no time did she deliver any indication of her real occupation and I only discovered this when I was created aware that someone was selling a story about me to tabloid newspapers.

    As soon as I discovered, I ended the partnership. This is an old story which was obviously a bit embarrassing back then.

    The events occurred some time before I began my present position and possesses never had any relation to the decisions I have made as Culture Secretary.’