‘Secret Tory’ revealed as personal trainer living in west Wales

The man behind a parody Twitter account that claimed to be an anonymous Conservative MP offering a glimpse into Westminster life has revealed himself to be a personal trainer and environmental campaigner living in west Wales.

Henry Morris set up The Secret Tory handle in 2019 and his brand of political satire has attracted more than 200,000 followers and earned him a book deal.

Fans and critics speculated for years about who was behind the account, with some suggesting it could be a well-known comedian or even an actual MP.

But on Wednesday Mr Morris, who is originally from Yorkshire but now lives in Crymych, unmasked himself in a video posted on his profile.

Who is the Secret Tory?

All is revealed in…

The Tories! pic.twitter.com/Wt3WL9X8Kt

— THE SECRET TORY – OBE 🇬🇧 (@secrettory12) May 31, 2023

“Bored”

He told BBC News he “inadvertently” started the account when talking about Brexit when he was “bored between training clients in my gym”.

“It took on a life of its own almost immediately. I remember people in the gym laughing about the account without knowing it was me, and it was very nice to have my hunch confirmed that I could make people laugh,” he said.

“Other people discover they’re good at things like ballet or darts. Turns out I’m very good at pretending to be a Tory MP.”

The anti-Tory account was first named Mark ne Francois pas, a reference to Conservative MP and Brexiteer Mark Francois, and later changed to Michael Govern Ready before becoming The Secret Tory.

The video revealing Mr Morris’s identity featured parodies of Conservative figures including Jacob Rees-Mogg, Therese Coffey and Michael Gove.

Mr Morris can be seen shouting out of a car window at Mr Gove while sporting a tank top and mullet in the clip.

There has been a mixed reaction to the video, with some expressing disappointment and even anger at the news of who is behind the account.

But Mr Morris told the BBC he would not apologise to people who were fooled into believing he was a real-life politician.

He said: “If people are feeling cheated I’m not a real MP, I’d like to say I’m sorry, but I’m not.

“It’s got a lot more to do with the behaviour of the people sitting in Westminster than my skills as a con artist.”

Mr Morris’s personal Twitter account, which is private, reveals he is also an ultramarathon runner who is behind the Field Maneuvers rave in Norfolk and is involved in amateur Shakespeare productions at St Dogmaels Abbey, Pembrokeshire.

According to the BBC, he is also a campaigner to end raptor persecution on grouse moors with Chris Packham’s Wild Justice group.

In his Twitter bio, Mr Morris says he is “running 250km in the Cairngorms to highlight golden eagle persecution”.