Former Liberal Democrat leadership contender Mark Oaten is facing calls to stand down as an MP following weekend allegations about his sex life.
Oaten was forced to resign as the party's home affairs spokesman after allegations surfaced that he regularly visited a male prostitute.
His local daily paper, the Southern Daily Echo, called for the Winchester MP to quit over the stories.
In an editorial, the paper said that if the allegations of three-in-a-bed sex acts were true, "then the best course of action would be for him to resign as MP for Winchester".
It said with "much regret" the matter was not a private one as many constituents would find the allegations of an affair with a prostitute "distasteful".
In an attempt to shore up support, Oaten released a statement to the paper which said: "I have offered my sincere apologies to my family, friends and neighbours for the embarrassment I have caused them.
"I would like my constituents, across the Winchester constituency, to know that over the years since I came to live here, I have been grateful to them for their support and for much personal kindness shown to me and my family.
"I have always tried to serve my constituents locally and in parliament to the very best of my ability."
"While I will not respond to specific allegations, I am sorry that I have let them down on this occasion."
Despite the paper's attack some senior Lib Dems were supporting Oaten.
Party president Simon Hughes warned that the personal tragedy should not be allowed to distract the party.
"Mark Oaten built on and developed some clear principles on the party's position on civil liberties, a brief that I held for many years in our party," he said.
"Mark's loss from the frontbench of the party is unfortunate and a personal tragedy for him, but what this can't do is distract us as a party from continuing to be the only political party in this country prepared to stand up for civil liberties and human rights, many of which are under attack from this New Labour government."
