British minister of prisons says he's gay

LONDON, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The British prison minister announced Friday he has "decided to come to terms with his homosexuality" and has separated from his wife.

Crispin Blunt, a Conservative member of Parliament representing Reigate in Surrey, released a statement saying he and his family do not want to make any additional comment, The Guardian reported. He said there was no "third-party involvement."

Blunt, 50, married his wife, Victoria, in 1990, the same year he resigned from the Army after serving in Cyprus and Germany. The couple have a son and daughter.

Blunt was first elected to Parliament in 1997 and named an under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Justice this year.

Andy Mountney, the Conservative chairman in his constituency, said Blunt's sexual orientation is a personal matter.

"We remain very supportive of him as our MP and that has been the gist of all the phone calls I have received from party members," he said.

Blunt annoyed Prime Minister David Cameron with a speech this summer on prison reform, the newspaper said. The prime minister was said to be personally irritated by a reference in the speech to his membership in an Oxford club as well as by proposals to give prisoners more freedom to hold comedy nights and parties.