Joe Lycett fans shocked to discover comedian isn’t behind satirical ‘Anonymous Conservative MP’ Twitter account

A Twitter account poking fun at Conservative members of parliament has gained nearly a quarter of a million amused followers. The account, with the handle @secrettory12, has remained anonymous since its initial creation in 2019.

Fans of Joe Lycett had believed that the Brummie comedian was the mastermind behind the satirical account, for quite some time. One user said: “Are you @joelycett? No way does a Tory MP have your kind of humour #17Minutes”. Another speculated: “I think you’re a parody run by the “very right wing” @joelycett 😂🤣”.

This Wednesday morning (31 May) the ‘Secret Tory’ uncovered their identity in a comical video which already has 1 million views. Joe Lycett fans were shocked to discover the Travel Man host was not the account’s owner.

The brain behind the political page was revealed to be a man by the name of Henry Morris, a personal trainer from Yorkshire who now lives in Wales. Speaking to BBC News, Henry  said: “I inadvertently started parodying Mark Francois at the height of Brexit when I was bored between training clients in my gym.

“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.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." 

Henry responded to one of many ‘disappointed’ Joe Lycett fans on Twitter, writing: “I'm sorry I'm not Joe Lycett, Frankie.”

As well as being a personal trainer and ultra-marathon runner, the Secret Tory is also an author. His book, entitled The Diary of a Secret Tory MP: (Almost!) True Stories from the Heart of British Politics, went on sale in 2022. It was even endorsed by the Times columnist Caitlin Moran.

Fans of Joe Lycett likely believed the account could be him due to the time he pretended to be a right-wing Tory supporter on ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’. This is just one of several political pranks the Late Night Lycett presenter has pulled off.