A former Labour council member, Oliver Steadman, aged 28, faces charges related to an alleged blackmail scheme targeting Members of Parliament. It is claimed that Steadman pressured one victim to provide contact details for 12 individuals and sent WhatsApp messages to five people within Westminster circles, as reported by the police.
According to reports, various individuals, including MPs from both the Conservative and Labour parties, received flirtatious messages from someone using the aliases “Charlie” or “Abi.” Following the exchange of explicit photos initiated by the individual, at least two MPs allegedly reciprocated with similar images.
Steadman has been charged with five communication offenses, as announced by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Malcolm McHaffie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, stated that the decision to prosecute Steadman for blackmail and communication offenses stemmed from an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service. The probe focused on unsolicited indecent images sent via WhatsApp to several individuals in political circles between October 2023 and April 2024.
McHaffie emphasized that the prosecution team had gathered sufficient evidence to proceed with the case in the public interest. Steadman is scheduled for an initial hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 3, 2025.
Steadman stepped down as a Labour councilor in Islington Council, North London, in June of the previous year and is currently under party suspension. Following his arrest in June, he has been on bail and will now be remanded to appear in court.
Support and guidance are being provided to the affected individuals by the authorities during this ongoing investigation.