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Downing Road has pushed again on claims of an ingrained tradition of misogyny inside the Conservative social gathering, because the chief whip investigates studies {that a} Conservative minister was noticed watching porn within the Home of Commons.
Simply over a over a dozen Conservative MPs met chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris final evening to share their experiences of sexual harassment and sexism in parliament by the hands of their colleagues.
On the assembly, two feminine Conservative MPs accused a male fronbench Conservative MP of watching porn on his telephone on two separate events: within the Home of Commons chamber subsequent to a feminine minister, and on one other event at a committee assembly.
A press release launched by the whips workplace mentioned: “The chief whip is trying into this matter. This behaviour is wholly unacceptable and motion can be taken.”
In right this moment’s foyer briefing, Quantity 10 denied the Conservative social gathering had an issue with misogyny.
The PM’s press secretary mentioned: “It’s clearly completely unacceptable behaviour and can be appeared into… any allegations like this are taken very severely”.
Downing Road added Johnson had made clear in current days that “there’s completely no place for such behaviour and this can’t be tolerated in any office.”
The chief whip’s investigation falls towards the backdrop of a collection of inauspicious tales for the Conservative social gathering relating to sexist and mysoginsic behaviour in parliament.
Over the weekend, the Sunday Occasions reported that 56 MPs – together with three cupboard ministers and two shadow cupboard ministers – are below investigation for sexual misconduct. Their instances are being reviewed by Unbiased Complaints and Grievance Service.
There has additionally been appreciable upset and complaints raised by a Mail of Sunday story over the weekend, the place deputy Labour chief Angela Rayner was accused by unnamed Conservative MPs of a ‘Primary Intuition’ ploy to distract Boris Johnson throughout Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).
Mail on Sunday editor David Dillon refused to fulfill with Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle after being summoned over the story (learn extra right here).
Labour’s chief Keir Starmer addressed the difficulty of misogynistic behaviour in Westminster throughout his opening remarks at PMQs.
Starmer said: “I hope he’s additionally despatched a transparent message that there’s no place for sexism and misogyny or trying down on folks due to the place they arrive from in his Get together, on this Home, or in trendy Britain”.
Johnson replied: “There could be completely no place for such behaviour or such expression on this home, and we should always deal with one another Mr Speaker, frankly with respect that one another desserves.
Pressed by Caroline Lucas as as to whether he considers sexual harassment as grounds for dismissal, the PM replied, “after all”, describing the act as “insupportable”.
Elsewhere in PMQs, Johnson and Starmer pointed the finger at each other over the price of residing disaster forward of the native elections subsequent week.
Starmer accused the PM being an “ostrich, completely glad maintaining his head within the sand”, relating to the price of residing squeeze on British households. Labour’s chief claimed solely Russia can be having a slower financial progress than the UK within the G20.
Johnson made clear that his social gathering “have a plan” and described Labour administrations throughout the nation to be “a bankrupt shambles”. To his fired-up Conservative backbenchers, the prime minister asserted that Starmer is “doomed to be a permenant spectator”.
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