A Cabinet minister has denied there is a culture of misogyny in Parliament, instead pointing to a few “bad apples” despite a series of scandals over the behaviour of MPs.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the Energy Secretary, insisted it is a safe place for women to work as he backed the resignation of Tory colleague Neil Parish for twice watching pornography in the Commons.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, is calling for “radical” reform to working practices after a string of bullying and sexual misconduct offences involving MPs.
Caroline Nokes, a senior Tory MP who chairs the Women and Equalities Committee, has accused the Tories of “institutional sexism”.
But Mr Kwarteng, speaking on Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, denied there is a culture of misogyny at the centre of British democracy.
“I don’t think there is a culture of misogyny; I think the problem we have is people are working in a really intense environment, there are long hours and I think generally most people know their limits,” he said.
He added on the BBC’s Sunday Morning show that Parliament is a safe place for women to work, adding: “I think we’ve got to distinguish between some bad apples, people who behave badly, and the general environment.
“There are some bad apples, there are people who have acted very badly, and they should be held to account.”
Mr Kwarteng accepted that the allegations of sleaze in Westminster in recent weeks were “extraordinary and unacceptable”, but disagreed that closing Parliament’s many bars was a solution.
“No, they shouldn’t all be shut, I don’t think we should have an excessively puritanical, severe regime in that regard,” he said.
Senior Tories have been pushing to get more women MPs, but Mr Kwarteng said he is not “a fan of quotas” to boost their numbers.
On Saturday, Mr Parish announced his resignation as MP for Tiverton and Honiton after two colleagues reported having seen him watching porn.
The farmer by trade, who chairs the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, said he first accidentally viewed porn in the Commons chamber after looking at tractors online, before later doing so deliberately.
His departure will pave the way for a by-election in the Tory safe seat and he still faces an investigation by the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS).
It was the latest in a series of damning developments that have dogged the Commons in recent weeks, including a second Tory MP resigning, a Conservative having the whip withdrawn and a Labour MP suspended.
Three Cabinet ministers are among 56 MPs reportedly facing allegations of sexual misconduct that have been referred to the ICGS.
Calling for urgent action, Sir Lindsay suggested staff should no longer be employed by the parliamentarians they work for and said he is considering an outside body to employ aides.
He is moving to establish a “Speaker’s conference”, bringing MPs together to discuss an overhaul.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he would participate in the Speaker’s bid, calling for “political leadership” from Boris Johnson to fix the problem “because the fish rots from the head”.
- Stormont collapse ‘inevitable’ unless Northern Ireland Protocol renegotiated, First Minister warns | UK News
- Dutch rioters clash with police over new covid rules for a third night | UK News video
- Canada Breaking News – Ukraine crisis: Putin warns of ‘bloodshed’ as he recognises breakaway regions
( Information from telegraph.co.uk was used in this report. To Read More, click here )
