British MP resigns amid gay rumours

British defence secretary Liam Fox resigned last week amid rumours about his sexuality and links to the best man at his own wedding.

Fox (pictured left) became the first Conservative minister to quit the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government after it was revealed that his friend Adam Werritty (right) posed as a government adviser and took a string of foreign trips with the minister.

“I mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my government activities to become blurred,” Fox’s resignation letter read.

“The consequences of this have become clearer in recent days… I am very sorry for this.”

The scandal has led to numerous rumours in the British press about the nature of Fox’s relationship with his 34-year-old former flatmate, who had accompanied him on 18 foreign trips while he was minister.

ABC News reports that Werritty also visited the minister 22 times at the defence ministry in London during the same period, and printed business cards describing himself as Fox’s adviser, despite having no official government role.

Fox was forced to resign on Friday after reports that financial backers linked to Israel and a private security firm had funded Werritty’s first-class travel and hotel stays during his time with the minister.

The Times newspaper reported that donors funnelled 147,000 pounds ($231,000) into a not-for-profit company set up by Werritty to pay for his first-class flights and upscale hotels.

British employment minister Chris Grayling had previously claimed that talk about Fox’s sexuality was ‘wild gossip’ following reports a ‘young male friend’ was staying with him when his London flat was burgled last year.

In the wake of his resignation, British prime minister David Cameron said Fox had helped prevent Libyans being “massacred” and had done a “superb job” since the coalition came to power after elections in May 2010.